Your phone’s camera can watch you without you knowing. Some apps and websites can track your activity. Put an end to it.
You may not know it, but your phone’s camera may be watching you. This happens when you allow certain apps or websites to access your camera. Some of them actually use the camera to function properly (for example, messengers), but others don’t need it at all. And you better block them.
First of all, you should check if your phone camera is watching you. Some websites may do this after getting your permission. If you have an Android phone, open the browser you use and click on the 3 dots at the top right. Select “Settings”, then “Site Settings”. Search for “Camera”. By clicking on it, a list of sites that have access to your camera and can spy on you will be displayed. To remove sites from the list that you don’t use and want to remove camera access from, tap the address and choose “Block.” The same must be done for applications. Go to “Settings” on the phone, then “Applications”. Look for “Application Permissions”, then “Camera”. You will see the list of apps that have access to the camera. By clicking on an app’s icon, you can choose the “Block” option if you don’t want that app to use the camera.
To better protect your privacy, you can still adjust a few settings on your phone:
- Limit camera activity in the background. Go to the Play Store and click on your profile picture at the top right. Scroll down and choose the “Help & Feedback” tab. In the “Remove installed apps” section, click the “Click to open app settings” link. From the list of applications, choose “Camera”, then “Advanced settings” and then “Battery”. Select “Restrict in background” and confirm your choice by clicking on “Apply limitations”. The camera will work normally, but it won’t work when the app is in the background and won’t spy on you.
- Change the settings so that the camera app does not modify the system settings. To do this, click on its icon and hold it for a while. Select “App Info”. Scroll down and choose “Change system settings”. By default, this feature will be enabled. Click on it, then use the slider on the right side of the screen to turn it off.