| Author |
Message |
Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Saturday, August 03, 2019 - 9:37 am 
I know that some laptops and even a few desktop systems and monitors now come with cameras built in. We somehow had avoided getting that on all of our systems until this weekend. Turns out Mrs Mack’s new post graduate course of study requires she participate in live seminars on line and they want the students, in the name of team building, to be able to see the participants. Funny thing is that my wife’s US Army issued work laptop has a camera but it is disabled because it’s considered a security risk. She asked about getting it enabled but was turned down. Funnier yet is the school requiring the camera for seminars is the US Army War College, a fully accredited institution but US Army sponsored, managed, and run activity. Hmmm........
So I ordered a camera from Amazon and it was delivered this morning. All installed and it works great. Still a little leery because the Army’s security concerns and things I’ve read on the Internet but she has to have it. It does have a built in flap that can be lowered to cover the lens plus a distinct blue circle of light around the lens that shows it’s on. I’ve heard of people using things like black electricians tape to Post-It notes to nail polish to “disable” the camera. I played around with simply unplugging the camera, since it’s built in, but it wants to reload the software every time you plug it in which is a pain.
So here we are. Like it or not we’ve joined the live Internet video world.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Saturday, August 03, 2019 - 4:17 pm
Luckily for me the webinars I attend (Alzheimer's Orange County and ASPCA) do not require a camera.
I might be able to use my Samsung tablet and camera in a pinch.
But I have to laugh at the inconsistency your wife is facing, but that seems standard with government regs.
Way back when I want in charge of the county payroll system, we had to deal with the Auditor Controller, of course, but had to also interface with the IRS, Franchise Tax Board (state of California), and a raft of agencies.. Crazymaking.
I think a physical barrier is fine for the camera, but is there a mic that could be listening? 
🙈🙉🙊
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Saturday, August 03, 2019 - 5:00 pm
Yep, I have black tap over the camera on my laptop and tablet.
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Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Saturday, August 03, 2019 - 5:08 pm
I use Christmas seals. LOL
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Saturday, August 03, 2019 - 5:22 pm
I have a little slider that sticks on to the computer, so you can slide it open or closed. I like to video chat with some of my long distance friends, so that way I can have it open or closed, as I need to.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Saturday, August 03, 2019 - 5:55 pm
I don't have a cam .. I probably have a laptop around..
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Saturday, August 03, 2019 - 5:58 pm
LOL, Naja.
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Chewpito
Member
01-03-2004
| Saturday, August 03, 2019 - 9:13 pm
I dont have any of those things, but did download snap-chat cause a friend begged me to and one night I found out that we could see each other while chatting....It really freaked me out' I disconnected the min I realized it....She said why did you pause it'.. anyway..I do see a shrink and she is on Skype...wow' that took some time to get used too....I am very backwards so all these things scare me....but Im trying to go with the flow... I YI YI
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Chewpito
Member
01-03-2004
| Saturday, August 03, 2019 - 9:17 pm
Im not like a cave man or something....ha ha...I just fear technology.. With time I have to let loose...Im trying...
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Sunday, August 04, 2019 - 5:46 am
Seamonkey - My wife’s new computer camera indeed has a microphone. Supposedly it is disabled if the camera is shut off or if you turn off or mute it with the software interface but who knows. The good thing her desktop is upstairs in a bedroom we use as an office and away from our day-to-day activities. The majority of time anybody hacking the microphone would hear nothing more than the low hum and gurgling of the fish tank in the office. We don’t leave our computers on 24/7 so that also helps.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Sunday, August 04, 2019 - 10:58 am
Mack, that sound safe. We have to be able to trust our 🐟 fish!
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Sunday, August 04, 2019 - 12:38 pm
LOL, well my computer must have been listening to the live feeds because a while back all of a sudden I got an advertisement for something they were talking about...
So I would go and see if you can disable the mic, LOL.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Monday, August 05, 2019 - 6:24 am
Dipo - We bought a Logitech camera/microphone and the provided software does allow you to disable the microphone. Logitech claims up and down that as long as you close the interface both the camera and microphone are totally disabled. Not sure I’m totally convinced but I am sure that once the computer is shut down there’s no way the device has any power. We have never downloaded or enabled any of the interactive services like Siri or Alexis or Smart TV.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Wednesday, July 22, 2020 - 12:11 am
Hmm, I wonder who all has changed this aspect life since COVID?
I now have a webcam on my desktop monitor and a mic. I Zoom a lot, twice a week for exercise, twice a week for singing and quite a few other zoom classes, lectures and discussions. I
For the balance and mobility class I use a Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga device that has a built in can and mic, because I need room to move.
The Mic has a mute button.
I block the can when not in use.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Wednesday, July 22, 2020 - 6:18 am
My wife’s computer camera has gotten a lot of use. She’s half way through her post graduate school so there is still that requirement. In fact in June she was supposed to travel to Carlisle Barracks, PA for her two week mid-course residency. That was changed to Internet only so she spent the better part of two weeks 7 AM until whenever up in our office. That was a mixed bag of watching presentations, lectures, and small group work. That meant lots of video, audio, and some live camera time.
As for work she typically only goes to her office once a week on Mondays. Why Monday? It’s the day her commanding general holds his weekly meeting with his senior staff and they do that over a secure video/audio link that can only be accessed at work. His senior staff is split between here and Washington, DC so even before the pandemic he was conducting video meetings. The other four days she’s back upstairs in our office pretty much 7 AM to 5 PM. Her agency was on the verge of the start of people coming back into the building a couple of weeks ago when San Antonio COVID-19 numbers exploded here so that was stopped. Out of 400+ people in her building there are typically no more than 30 in their offices and most of those are IT types that have to be there to maintain the systems.
Might add that MS Teams gets a big workout for both school and work. It has been a really good tool.
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