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I disagree
Authored by: johnqsmith on Mar 26, '07 06:55:45PM

The point is, if you disable it in software then it can be reenabled in software can't it? Someone, or a piece of malware can simply pop the file back in and it's all good(yes, iff they are admin, but that's part of the point of trying to protect even after compromise...). THAT is why the NSA says you can't disable it without disabling USB stuff. Because the camera is on the USB2 bus, and therefore, so long as you can write to USB devices, you can turn the camera back on. The only solution is literally disconnecting it, and until there is a physical switch to do so, you're left with unplugging it after opening it up. Software can't fix it.



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I disagree
Authored by: chafnerjr on Mar 27, '07 08:28:08AM

Again I apologize for pointing to the NSA articles. I was being a bit ahead of myself. This "tip" is really intended for the educational community where users do not have admin access. As you can imagine there could be much legal trouble if an underage student were to appear on the internet doing what teenagers do. We could, in theory, be held accountable for providing said student with web cams.

In this particular situation it is critical for private institutions using mac's. I should have thought out my initial tip before writing it. Also I didn't know if it was going to be re-written as this was my first "tip" sent here.



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Interesting.
Authored by: porkchop_d_clown on Mar 28, '07 04:04:35AM

I wonder what the thinking was there. I know my niece's school district issued her a macbook with the iSight still working, I was messing with it before I decided I should upgrade from my PBG4.

To be honest, at 42, I have very little use for Photobooth. :-P Heck, I've never even been asked to video conference. :-D :-D

---
Everyone loves a clown, but no one will lend him money!



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Interesting.
Authored by: chafnerjr on Mar 28, '07 05:18:34AM

I'm assuming that when you say "school district" you mean that they are day schools where the parent has the direct responsibility over the action of the student. In this case I certainly understand. Besides the cameras are just so way cool.

My school, however, is a private boarding school. We have to be a little more careful with what our students can do in their free time as we have direct responsibility for many of their actions. Long story short there is a real legal issue should one of our students display themselves inappropriately somewhere over the internet since they are underage.



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I disagree
Authored by: explodingpickle on Sep 08, '07 06:00:13PM

This also only seems to disable the iSight from apps that rely on QuickTime to access it. If I go in a dark room with my MacBook Pro and turn the keyboard backlight on, then go outside the backlight will go off.



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