Security Bite: A note on camera covers in 2026

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Plastic webcam covers—especially of the sliding kind—boomed in popularity sometime in the 2010s as a low-tech way to keep hackers from eavesdropping on compromised machines. The concern felt justified at the time. But by 2020, Apple was beginning to issue warnings that those covers aren’t actually needed and can even damage a MacBook’s display.

For this Security Bite, let’s set aside our tin-foil hats and talk about how webcam covers don’t meaningfully improve privacy, could cause features like True Tone to not work properly, and are far more likely to damage your screen than stop someone from spying on you.