Webcam use has skyrocketed due to the pandemic, we cannot deny it. Teleworking and video calls have made it increasingly common to find a webcam on top of monitors. And that’s without taking into account that all laptops have their camera on the screen. For security reasons, it is always recommended to cover the camera to prevent a hacker or a malicious application from activating it and using it to spy on us. And now, to help us protect our privacy , Windows 10 will also help us to know who is using or not using the PC camera.
Windows 10 already has several icons that indicate that some applications are using certain functions of the PC. For example, we can see a round privacy icon when apps try to access our location, like a microphone when an app is listening to what we say. And soon we will have to ensure that the following icon does not appear in the system tray if we do not want to be in danger.
The webcam icon coming soon to Windows 10
At the moment, this new icon is in the testing phase in Windows 10X , although it is expected that it will soon also reach the desktop version of Windows 10. When any application starts using the webcam that we have connected to the PC, this icon will appear. And if we place the mouse over it we can easily know which application is using the camera . For example, we will know if it is Skype, Microsoft Teams or another program that is watching us through the PC camera.
This is nothing more than a notification icon. It will not allow us to do anything. If we detect that an application is accessing our webcam without permission , what we must do is disconnect the camera from the computer as soon as possible and start investigating why. We can also check the permissions of the applications to block the access of this application to the webcam.
But, in the end, the most important thing is not only to ensure that nobody uses the camera without permission, but to cover the lens physically, since that is the only way we can be sure.
One more novelty for Sun Valley
At the moment we do not know when this feature will reach the operating system. It might come through a normal cumulative patch, just like Meet Now. But the safest thing is that, taking into account that 21H1 is practically finished, this new warning icon will reach all users in the face of 21H2, an update known as Sun Valley .
Sun Valley will be the biggest update seen since the launch of Windows 10. An update that will bring great news and great aesthetic changes throughout the operating system and all applications. The version of Windows 10 that will change everything.
If all goes well, this update should arrive after the summer, between the months of October and November. But for now it is too early to know, we have to wait.