Everyone should cover their webcams, says Federal Bureau of Investigation director

Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Comey was asked by an interviewer if he still tapes his cameras at home. “I think that’s a good thing”, said Comey, hitting on possibly the creepiest way to deliver that advice.

If you don’t, breathe easy.

Comey isn’t alone in his habits – Facebook founder (and multi-billionaire) Mark Zuckerberg is known to cover both his webcam and his microphone jack with tape. “As a good consumer, read about the security of devices and what steps people are taking to protect you”. FBI Director James Comey defended the use of tape to cover devices.

One might consider it a certain level of paranoia, yet according to Federal Bureau of Investigation director and even Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, covering your webcam with a tape is not such a bad idea.

Covering your laptop’s webcam with tape isn’t some out-of-this-world-crazy idea. I have an alarm system.

Cameras record FBI Director James Comey during a news conference at the FBI office.

Hacking webcams to control them remotely, a procedure called “remote access trojan” (RAT), or “ratting”, happens frequently to people who aren’t considered such “high-value” targets as Mr. Zuckerberg or Comey.

FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday pushed back on claims the US was not doing enough to fend off Russian hackers, noting his agency can respond outside of the public eye.

It’s been revealed previously that governments including the United States were able to hack into computers and observe a user’s actions via their own webcam.

It was revealed back in April that Comey used tape as a low-budget counter-surveillance measure and was widely criticised for hypocrisy as, at the time, the San Bernardino iPhone unlocking saga was unfurling where he voiced his opinion that companies should not make products that authorities can not break into.

“So I do think it’s become enormously challenging for people in institutions that depend upon the trust of the citizens to recapture trust where it’s been lost, explain ourselves in a way that allows them to resist demagoguery or the Twitterverse”, he said.

Comey‚ however‚ says that it is a sensible thing to do in an age of cyber-snooping.