Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

FIB Director James Comey. AP Photo/Eric Risberg
cover up

The FBI's director says we should all cover up our webcams

“It’s not crazy that the FBI director cares about personal security as well”

THE HEAD OF the FBI has encouraged people to cover up their webcams to prevent them from being spied on.

In an interview, James Comey was asked about whether he still covers his webcam with a piece of tape, to which he said he still gets mocked for.

“I get mocked for a lot of things. [I was] much mocked for that but I hope people lock their cars… lock your doors at night… it’s not crazy that the FBI director cares about personal security as well,” he said. “I think people ought to take responsibility for their own safety and security and there are some sensible things you ought to be doing”. 

If you go into any government office, we all have our little camera things that sit on top of the screen, we all have a little lid that closes down on them. You do that so people who don’t have authority don’t look at you. I think that’s a good thing.

Comey was criticised a few months ago when he originally revealed he covered his laptop camera. His comments came shortly after the FBI launched a legal battle against Apple so it could gain access to the iPhone data of one of the San Bernardino shooters.

At the time, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the case was “about much more than a single phone or a single investigation… at stake is the data security of hundreds of millions of law-abiding people, and setting a dangerous precedent that threatens everyone’s civil liberties.”

Comey originally mentioned he covered up his webcam as part of an answer regarding the need for the public to keep an eye on how the government uses its surveillance powers, saying he did it because he “saw somebody smarter than I am had a piece of tape over their camera.”

Read: What are the chances someone is spying on you through your laptop camera? >

Read: Social media can bring out the worst in public mourning, says an expert on digital grief >

Your Voice
Readers Comments
27
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.