Webcam temporarily activating on boot

Question

I have a Lenovo Ideapad 100 with Ubuntu 16.04 installed, but unfortunately when I start Ubuntu, the webcam starts and the led lights up. It stays on for about a minute or so, until I log on. Once I log on, and internet loads, my webcam turns off. I feel like this could be a privacy issue, because the webcam is active. Is this the case? How can I turn this off?

I see the same behavior with my webcam, Bluetooth dongle, USB Drives, etc. Anything with an indicator light on it is powered on during boot. That's how Ubuntu (or Windows, Mac, etc) knows what hardware is connected and if it's working or not. — SuperSluether, Sep 23 '16 at 16:53

score 2 · Answer 1 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:24

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To get straight to the point, you have nothing to worry about. First of all, Ubuntu is not actually activating your webcam. Think of this light coming on as Ubuntu testing 2 things:

If your webcam is still connected to your motherboard, hardware wise, so it can tell whether or not to activate drivers or not
If your LED is working

Although it is utilizing the webcam and the LED light, you have no reason to worry about photos or videos being taken, so long as you stay safe on your computer.

edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:24

Community

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answered Sep 23 '16 at 15:54

David

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Thank you very much for your quick and adequate response. What wonders me is that the led stays on for 52 seconds. (I timed it). Is this the case with al other Ubuntu users? That the webcam is onevery startup for 52 seconds just to test it? – Cook Sep 23 '16 at 16:32
Also I read your stay safe item. Which antivirus app should i install. I can only find ClamTK – Cook Sep 23 '16 at 16:37
@Cook Most Ubuntu users do not use laptops, and those who do may not have this system of checks. Even if they did, PC/Laptop specs would determine how fast Ubuntu startup was. Ubuntu startup process will happen before it starts deactivating what it has started, so let's say It activates the light. It could do 51 second worth of activations after that, and the light would stay on, but it wouldn't be used. Regarding your second question, Clam works well! Would recommend! – David Sep 23 '16 at 16:46

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 01 '16 at 07:53

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Although I'm reassured here above, I would prefer the camera/ led light not to be switched on during startup for almost a minute. So if anyone would know a solution please let me know.

answered Oct 01 '16 at 07:53

Cook

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score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Sep 23 '16 at 16:00

I find it unlikely that a hypothetical attack would activate your camera during every boot only to disable it again once you log into your user account. What would they gain from that incredibly arbitrary activation pattern? It's much more likely that the lit status light behaviour is an artefact of some device driver initialisation.

If you want to stay absolutely safe place a piece of opaque sticky tape over the camera lens. It's cheap and easy to remove, so many people do it even when they don't actually feel at risk of espionage.

Webcam temporarily activating on boot

3 Answers3