Those of us old enough (that certainly includes all members of the Get Safe Online team) will remember a TV show called Candid Camera, where unsuspecting victims were set up to do embarrassing things whilst being filmed in secret. It was hilarious.
Recently cameras of one kind or another seem to have been in the news about online safety … definitely NOT hilarious.
Only last week, charity Childnet International advised people to cover or disconnect their webcams when not in use to stop hackers using them to spy on people. An investigation carried out by the BBC found websites where hackers exchanged pictures and videos of people captured on their own webcams without their knowledge. This is achieved by hackers using a type of malware calling a remote access Trojan – appropriately abbreviated to RAT. In a horrifying account, 20 year-old Rachel Hyndman from Glasgow told the BBC how she was the victim of webcam hacking. Whilst watching a DVD in the bath, she noticed that the camera on her laptop had switched itself on. This has attracted a lot of coverage by media attempting to warn people about the problem … only this week I was interviewed by LOOK magazine on the subject. Our Chief Exec Tony Neate told the BBC: "The most at-risk computers are those running older software which has not been updated, and those without up-to-date anti-virus software installed, making it even more crucial that people ensure their computer has the latest version of anti-security software installed across all devices."
Keith Vaz – Chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Committee to which Get Safe Online presented evidence last year – has not only urged schoolteachers to talk to their pupils about the dangers of using webcams, but also called on computer manufacturers to improve security for users. He pointed out on the BBC's Radio 5 Live: "Because webcams are present in probably every home in the United Kingdom, what you have uncovered is pretty shocking and serious."
Webcams are also the instrument in an equally insidious activity … blackmail, which is on the increase. Unsuspecting victims are lured into taking off their clothes in front of their webcam – and sometimes performing sexual acts – by a supposed online suitor. This allows the blackmailer to record a video, which he or she uses to blackmail the victim. Nasty.
Somewhat different … but still along the theme of cameras, computer consultant (and father of two) Mark Lancaster last week admitted trafficking and voyeurism in relation to his 'sponsorascholar.co.uk' website, which claimed to pay the university tuition fees of women who agreed to sleep with one of its clients up to four times a term. In reality, the voyeuristic Lancaster placed hidden video cameras in the bedroom and toilet of his rented flat in Milton Keynes to conduct "interviews" of applicants, which actually involved him having sex with them. Can it get any seedier, I ask myself.
Cameras allow us to communicate with loved ones around the world via Skype, as well as capturing and sharing precious moments. But when used for illicit or immoral purposes, the consequences can be shattering. Take a look through this website at topics like protecting yourself from spyware and viruses (to avoid RATs of the technological and human variety), webcam blackmail and safe surfing.
