Closing a MacBook while the webcam is covered could end up causing serious damage to the screen on these Apple laptops. This was warned by the company itself, through a security report published in July 2020.
Although plugging cameras built into computers is often a recurring practice to prevent remote eavesdropping, which is even recommended by the FBI, the manufacturer said that for design reasons it is damaging to their laptops.
“If you close your Mac laptop with a camera cover installed, it could damage your screen, because the separation between the screen and the keyboard is designed for very tight tolerances,” notes the report published by MacRumors .
According to the company, “Covering the built-in camera could also interfere with the ambient light sensor and prevent features like Auto Brightness and True Tone from working.”
The security guide, effective July 2, 2020, applies to all owners of a MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro.
According to Apple, the best alternative is to trust the green light located on the side of the camera, which indicates whether it is on or not. “The camera is designed so that it cannot be activated without the camera indicator light also turning on. This is how you can know if your camera is on ”, adds the report.
If it is necessary to cover your camera anyway, the recommendation of Apple is to use any element whose thickness does not exceed 0.1 mm or that contains adhesive elements. If a camera cover thicker than 0.1mm is installed, the manufacturer suggests removing it before closing your computer.
As a complementary measure, Apple urges to periodically control which applications have access to the camera .