7 Tips for the truly paranoid PC user - Tip #4

Tape over the webcam

Integrated webcams are great for video chats, but they’re also excellent tools for hackers to spy on users. And you would never know that you were being watched: Although the webcam indicator light is supposed to switch on when the camera activates, hackers have found ways to disable the light in certain laptop models.

According to the NSA, a simple, low-tech solution is to tape over your webcam—with black tape, naturally. If you’re worried that the sticky residue might damage the webcam, use tape to secure a small piece of paper over the lens.