this post was submitted on 13 Aug 2025
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Privacy
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I have some bad news for you. Whatever software switch your phone has to "turn off" the mic, can still be bypassed by either the manufacturer or an attacker that gets root control of the device.
The only way to ensure a mic isn't listening is by either unsoldering it or shorting the + and - contacts. I mean in the case of a phone you can probably do the toothpick thing and then test it and repeat until sound actually quiets, but note that phones can actually listen to you by via the accelerometer :/
Framework laptops have a little physical switch to turn off the camera / mic when you don't want them.
The original SGI webcams, some of the first that ever existed, actually had a physical plastic cover that you could slide over them when you didn't want the camera on. "No, I don't trust your hardware any more than your software. I shouldn't need to. Stop looking at me when I don't want you to, and prove to me that you are not, or else I will be suspicious." Back in those days that was sort of a universal point of view among internet people, I think...
Unfortunately even this is not that comforting because we don't know how the switch is implemented. Is it actually in series with the microphone data lines? Power lines? Ideally both but you'll never know. It could even just be a software GPIO switch (gonna bet Amazon Echos with their microphone switches are implemented like that) and unless you have the knowledge to check the PCB you'll always have that lingering suspicion.
I can verify that the OS fails to see the microphone and webcam when switched off. This was really confusing the one time that I wanted to use them.