Can I use Zorin 17.3 to permanently disable my laptop webcam?

Greetings fellow Zorin Forum members

Is there an option within Zorin 17.3 settings to fully disable my laptop's camera? I did a menu search on 'camera' and 'video' but could not find one. I am looking for the software equivalent of 'unplugging' the camera so that it never gets used.

If there is no Zorin option then which is the best Terminal method? As the disable approach ('sudo modprobe -r uvcvideo'), apparently, does not survive a reboot, I found a recommendation for blacklisting:

sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
blacklist uvcvideo

Can someone please confirm that there is no option within Zorin (or one of the installed apps) and that the best approach is to run the above code in Terminal?

Thanks

I cannot confirm as i dont even have a camera hooked up to this computer.

I wanted to just say, if you aren't ever going to be using that camera - you could add the command to your .bashrc file, so that you atleast don't have to run the command each time you start up your laptop.

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A small piece of tape is probably the best option:

  • Easy to install and configure.
  • Cross-platform.
  • Immune to malware and viruses.
  • Broad customization options.

You could also check in your BIOS. Some hardware manufacturers allow to disable certain components from there. Otherwise, I don't really know as I've never tried this.

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i struggled to hold my coffee mug reading through this :rofl:

Whoever said team staff are the most serious ever, @zenzen is a walking evidence!

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You mean it wasn't said jokingly even a little bit? :sob:

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I'm a very serious person. I never joke :face_with_peeking_eye:

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When You go to Settings>Privacy is there a Camera Option. If I remember right newer Gnome Version have a Camera Option but I'm not sure. So, when the Camera is active look if You can disable it.

Or You look like @zenzen suggested already in the BIOS if You can turn off the Camera.

Joking apart. That "hardware" solution is what I use. If I need to use the webcam, I just remove the tape (a Post-it File Folder Tab that does not leave residue). Simples :slight_smile:

Looking at another thread, I wonder if this is one of @zenzen 's favorite sudo commands:

sudo apply-tape to webcam

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Me too.
I have no use for a webcam so neatly cut black insulation tape is what I cover it with.

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I prefer painter's tape: it's a little stronger, but leaves very little residue.

Which thread was that? I wouldn't mind having a command like that... :thinking: And its counterpart:

sudo apply-wd40 to stuff
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Thank you for providing a useful reply. There is no option that I could find within Zorin Settings - including the Privacy section. Nor is there an option within my BIOS.

Interestingly, there does seem to be the ability to control the microphone within Zorin but, presumably, the webcam was not deemed worthy of direct control.

I accept that if I do not have a BIOS option and do not care to use tape then I have to find a solution outside of Zorin.

Hang a compact mirror over it!

Same here, my old laptop's camera has had multiple stickers over it for years, I didn't need to use it. And my new laptop's camera came with a privacy shutter, I covered it once and kept it that way :smiley:

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Here you go:

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Lol I also use a piece of tape
If it's good enough for Zuckerberg and FBI ,it's good enough for me

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Turns out, you can disable access to the camera to every application:

You'll need to install dconf-editor and search for "camera" as in the screenshot. For me it's already disabled because I don't have one (it's a virtual machine) but if it's enabled, make sure to disable it from there. I don't know how effective that will be, though.

Although I still think that a low tech solution is the best choice for this purpose.

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I can now provide an update. Firstly, I have to apologise to the forum for asking the wrong question. I am used to the Windows world where all the onboard devices have their device drivers installed when the OS is installed. So, I assumed that Zorin would automatically install a device driver for my onboard webcam. This is not the case. (Unless Zorin should have installed a webcam device driver. I do not know but I am not complaining.)

I tried running the Zorin Cheese app and no device was found. To be sure I installed the Webcamoid app (probably because it had the word 'webcam' in the name) and again no camera device was found. Finally, I installed the System Profiler app and I am now confident that there is no webcam available on my computer.

So, it turns out that my webcam was already permanently disabled without me doing anything.

I am so glad that I did not consider buying tape that I did not need.

Many thanks to everyone who replied.

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