Woman Accuses Friend of Being Paranoid for Covering Work Laptop Camera When Not in Use — and Wonders If Others Do It Too

A woman is zooming in on her snap decision to call out her friend.

After accusing her friend of being paranoid for covering up the camera on her work laptop, the woman pondered on the U.K.-based forum Mumsnet if she’s being unreasonable for questioning her friend’s security suspicions.

“My friend always puts sellotape [Scotch tape] over her work laptop camera when she’s not using it or in meetings,” she began her March 14 post. “I used to think this was a bit much, but I’ve just discovered my own work laptop actually has a built-in shutter for the camera — so clearly, even manufacturers acknowledge there might be a reason to cover it.”

She described people’s camera concerns as “a conspiracy theory,” adding that her friend “insists it’s because ‘you never know who’s watching.’ ”

“While I don’t fully buy into the idea that someone is spying on us all the time, I do wonder if there’s any real risk.” the woman said before asking, “Is it actually sensible to cover your webcam when not in use? Do you do it?”

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Many readers agreed the woman’s friend about covering the camera.

“Our company had IT/cyber safety sessions and the guy was talking about how easy it is to hack into webcams,” one person replied. “It’s definitely a legit piece of advice, but probably one not many people bother about.”

Users said they especially cover their cameras when working from home.

“I put a Post-it over mine. It probably is paranoia but it’s a small thing that makes me feel more comfortable wfh,” another commenter wrote.

Another said she covers hers because she is “still slightly traumatized by the meeting where someone took us all to the loo [bathroom] with her by mistake.”