How to Know if Someone is Spying on You With Your Webcam

The lawsuit against Philadelphia's Lower Merion School District, where students and parents are suing over the school's abuse of webcam technology to covertly spy on students and their families in the home has caused recipients of school-issued computers to wonder "How can you tell if someone is watching you through your webcam?" Luckily, there are ways to protect your privacy.

Instructions

1. Keep your webcam covered or closed. Some built-in webcams are designed with protective covers that can be slid open or closed manually, in order to turn them off and on. Other built-in webcams are turned on with a keyboard button, which are more susceptible to hackers.

2. Unplug the webcam when you're not using it. External webcams that aren't built in can simply be unplugged when not in use.

3. Upgrade your webcam to model with an LED indicator light for when it's "in use."

4. Update your Antivirus regularly. Hackers can install codes that give them access to your webcam. It may come in the form of an email attachment, or programmed into a rogue Myspace or FaceBook app. Any download can potentially have malware, spyware or adware attached, so be sure to keep your antivirus up to date at all times.

5. Check your settings. Many school computers are networked so that administrators can access your child's computer as if it were just another folder. In fact, they can manipulate files, watch their screen to see which website they're visiting, copy passwords and other codes. If the control panel is too complicated for your understanding, ask your local computer store to take a look at the webcam settings. The only user who should have access is your child. You may even want to have it disabled.

6. Install a firewall. The school district may have one installed already, but unless you're savvy enough to check the settings to see who has access, you might just want to install your own, so you can control who has access to your webcam.

7. Check the antivirus software periodically to be sure that your kids haven't disabled it. Run weekly system scans to catch recent downloads.

8. Create another identity for your student to use if they're not showing good judgment about downloads. A user with a lower security level won't be allowed to install anything new. Be sure you're available to help them access thing with your username if necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• Use your own computer. "Free" isn't always a good idea.

Resources

• Teen & Family stalked by hacker who controlled their keyboard and webcam
• High school students sue school district for invasion of privacy
• Students spied on with school-issued laptops
• Fast forward to 33:35 where school administrator boasts about spying on kids
• States Spying on Homeschoolers with Free Laptops