Ask Me Help Desk - Webcam violation of privacy?

When we bought a new MAC computer several months ago, we were NOT told at the time, that our computer has a webcam that is ALWAYS on filming us a we use it, and "Cannot be turned off," per several articles we have found online (I can provide website links if needed.). Essentially every moment we are online, a webcam is filming inside our home! This was WITHOUT our permission because if we knew this, we would not have bought it. We only found out this week, that we have one on here and cannot turn it off! Since eavesdropping laws include videotaping, I am wondering if this might be a violation of the law. If there are any lawyers out there reading this, I hope you will look into it.

You can turn it off. The owner manual explains the webcam and how to operate it. If you have misplaced the owner manual, give us the model # of the computer and we'll help you find the online owner manual.

I do not believe that you have a case for pursuing a "violation of privacy" case in this matter. I am not an attorney. The above is just my opinion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PierresFamily

... We only found out this week, that we have one on here and cannot turn it off! ...

First, as RickJ has advised you, the notion that you cannot turn it off is incorrect.

But if it were true, you should have read the manual before you turned the computer on.

You can put a piece of tape over the camera if nothing else, but the cam program can be deleted from the PC also and another program installed.

Next you bought this, did not understand it but placed it in your home. Next a web cam has to be active with a broadcast program, not merely recording in the computer, so it is not being sent out, just recorded, you have to do a broadcast to send it somewhere.

Next it is your equipment, you can not sue yourself for recording your own activities. If you did not warn others coming into your home, they may have a case against you perhaps.

But your failure to understand and fully read about equipment you purchases has no law suit

First, asking a sales rep or consulting a book to see whether a webcam would come on without my knowledge would not have entered my head. My husband and I naively assumed you'd have to "Activate" something like that and you'd be told about it. I know that I overreacted in saying "lawsuit;" I was still reeling over the thought of a webcam on in my home without me knowing it. I actually think our society is WAY too litigious as it is, and I'm not one to add to that. But there DOES need to be more informing in this area, of consumers. I realize you don't know me but I wouldn't have desperately written here to start with, unless I had tried finding the info in both the manual and just by exhaustively trying every icon, to no avail. Also it's a valid problem and not just me, and not nearly as simple as turning it off manually. I eventually did what I should have to start with, going to the apple community support forum. If you will scroll down to the bottom of this thread, you will see what I mean:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2757412?start=0&tstart=0

I suggest you don't answer someone's sincere question if you are going to give a stock/flip answer like "you should have read the manual." I believe in being well-informed. That's why our family subscribes to no fewer than four newspapers including the New York Times. But I believe it's not reasonable to expect that someone would read an entire manual before turning the "on" switch when they excitedly bring a new "retirement" computer into their homes. I am disappointed in the snarky attitudes; I thought this would be a forum where people would really try to help each other. Have a good weekend.

And I apologize for putting it in the legal section. To be honest, I was just so aghast that it would be defaulted ON

Quote:

Originally Posted by PierresFamily

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2757412?start=0&tstart=0

It says right in there "The camera is not on unless you open an application that uses it like PhotoBooth." So it's not on, recording, all the time.

To be certain the camera is never on, rename, move or delete iSight's driver files. Drivers are instructions that tell Mac OSX how to operate iSight. Every time service from iSight is requested, OSX looks for those files in a specific location. Renaming the directory these files are located in will hide the drivers from OSX, turning-off iSight for good. This requires some basic knowledge of the Linux shell and bash commands.

Or put a sticknote over the camera.