Do you cover your laptop camera lens – and do you really need to?

If you’re paranoid about people seeing things they shouldn’t while you’re working, you might wonder if you need a physical camera cover on your computer lens.

Several prominent public figures have been known to use webcam covers, which are usually plastic sliders or a piece of tape that slips over the lens. Former FBI Director James Comey told NPR he did it. In 2016 photo posted on his Facebook account, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared to be using the sticker on his laptop’s camera. Should you do the same?

Here’s what experts think about how useful a webcam cover is indeed there is

If you’re worried about accidentally leaving your camcorder on, a camera cover can ease your worries. Jonathan Young, associate vice president of Vantage Technology Consulting Group, uses webcam covers for this reason.

“Webcam blockers are useful primarily because people sometimes inadvertently turn on or leave their cameras on,” he said. “Or people have multiple cameras—a laptop camera and a stand-alone camera on an external monitor—and the wrong default value can pop up and transmit operational information or confused or inappropriate vision. I use camera cases on my devices for these reasons.”

Michael Covington, vice president of portfolio strategy at JAMF, Apple’s device management platform, not only saves himself the potential embarrassment, but also has good reasons for security.

“The physical webcam cover is the last layer of security to ensure that the user remains in control of when they are seen on the camera, especially if any of the following scenarios occur: the device’s camera may accidentally turn on due to a software bug; “App developers can have malicious intent and create their apps to capture or steal data using the camera’s permission,” Covington said.

If it’s the latter problem that worries you most — hackers looking into your home through your computer — then maybe you don’t need to worry so much, says Nizel Adams, owner of Nizel Corp, an information technology consulting firm in Chicago.

“I understand the paranoia. Nobody likes to feel vulnerable,” Adams said. “But if you take preventative measures, the chances of someone getting hacked or someone watching you on your webcam are slim to none.”

“If there’s a security breach, that breach doesn’t go away when you close the webcam. This person will still be watching you at the other end,” he noted.

Adams said that even if a hacker knew your computer’s password, he would also need access to a lot of additional information about your PC to crack your screen, such as the external IP address of the network the device is on, the exact IP address or the name of the computer as well as the port number that is open and designated for remote access.

Because many computer systems automatically disable this remote access feature by default, a hacker would also have to force you to install software to gain access, Adams said.

“Most people don’t need to worry about things like that, especially if you have a firewall. … It does a lot of that for you,” Adams added.

The second concern Adams hears from people is that an IT professional will go rogue and peek into an employee’s video screen. But he notes that IT staff typically record all their activities in a secure system that flags when someone tries to access another person’s video camera.

And besides, “in my 20+ years in the business, I know that the vast majority of IT administrators have no idea how to get direct remote access to someone’s webcam,” especially not without the camera’s light turn on the flash and you won’t notice, he said.

“Webcam blockers, they’re not useful when it comes to privacy, but they do have a little benefit, like a dust cover for the lens,” Adams added.

Besides a webcam cover, there are preventative measures you can take to make sure you don’t need one to feel safe.

Make sure your video is off before and after each meeting. “Get into the habit of turning off video in the conferencing apps you use by default so you can manually turn it on each time,” Adams said.

Be mindful of what’s behind you during video meetings. “Pay attention to what’s around you and what might be on camera or picked up by a microphone,” Young said. “Use the virtual background technology built into most [products] to hide what’s around you, but don’t think they’ll hide everything all the time.’

Uninstall apps you don’t use regularly and double-check which ones have access to your camera. “Unload programs that are not being used to reduce the risk of software bugs or vulnerabilities,” Covington said. “Regularly check which apps have access to the camera resolution on your device.”

“If you don’t have the app installed, it can’t be used against you,” Adams said.

Don’t open emails from people you don’t know. “If someone sends an email with an attachment or link you weren’t expecting, ask your IT staff to check the email. Never open it, Adams said.

Do not use simple passwords. The best easy-to-remember passwords are three random words, like “webcampumkinlatch,” Adams said. “You can improve these passwords by mixing capital letters, numbers, and symbols, like WebcamPumpkinlatch62!”