Add the FBI director to the list of people who say you should cover your webcam

James Comey has now weighed in on the practice.
 By 
Karissa Bell
 on 
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

In case you still had any doubts about whether or not you should be covering your laptop's webcam, the director of the FBI has now weighed in on the mater.

Speaking at a conference in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, FBI Director James Comey called the practice a "sensible" one, equating it with locking your car or house.

The remarks, which were first reported by The Hill, are not the first time Comey has talked about his decision to place tape over his webcams. The topic came up during a previous speech in April as well.


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“There’s some sensible things you should be doing, and that’s one of them,” Comey said Wednesday, according to The Hill, noting that it's a common practice among government officials.

“You do that so that people who don’t have authority don’t look at you. I think that’s a good thing.”

Though the habit may seem paranoid to some, it's fairly common practice in Silicon Valley and security experts have long recommended the measure. Earlier this year, a photo showed that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg covers both his webcam and his microphone with tape.

Still, many have noted the irony in Comey advocating a measure intended to help protect people's privacy. The FBI director has spoken out against encryption in favor of greater access to user data.

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Karissa Bell

Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.

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