Frank via plug on 14 Jun 2025 14:52:14 -0700


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Re: [PLUG] The end of privacy as we know it?


Not to be pedantic, but this topic is completely moot if you're one of the 99% of the world's population using either a Google or Apple branded recording and tracking device (commonly known as a "smartphone").

- Frank

On 6/14/25 11:47 PM, K.S. Bhaskar via plug wrote:
If the microphone has power, it would be picking up sounds and broadcasting them, whether or not it is muted in software. Masking tape over it would muffle the signal and decrease the signal to noise ratio, but not mask it. The only sure way would be to electrically cut the power to the microphone.

Regards
- Bhaskar

On Sat, Jun 14, 2025 at 7:38 AM Walt Mankowski via plug <plug@lists.phillylinux.org> wrote:
You could also use an app like alsamixer to turn the gain all the way
down.

Maybe we could devote some time at the next PLUG meeting (on July 2)
to testing out various ways to mute ourselves without using Jitsi's
"mute" button. Of course, usually our problem is *not* being able to
hear some people, so it might be fun to try to do it intentionally!

Walt

On Sat, Jun 14, 2025 at 07:06:51AM -0400, Michael Lazin via plug wrote:
> The microphone driver should be a kernel module.  If you are on a Linux
> computer you can take the nuclear option and use rmmod to remove the kernel
> module if you don't need the microphone.
>
> Michael Lazin
>
> .. τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ νοεῖν ἐστίν τε καὶ εἶναι.
>
>
> On Fri, Jun 13, 2025 at 5:48 PM Wayne via plug <plug@lists.phillylinux.org>
> wrote:
>
> >
> > Tape won't work, the mics are far too sensitive.
> >
> > If you're using Pulse Audio, this may work as an attempt to disable the
> > mic electrically.
> >
> > pactl set-source-mute @DEFAULT_SOURCE@ 1  # mute
> > pactl set-source-mute @DEFAULT_SOURCE@ 0  # unmute
> >
> >
> > On 6/13/25 12:27 PM, Walt Mankowski via plug wrote:
> > > On Fri, Jun 13, 2025 at 02:50:13PM -0400, Casey Bralla via plug wrote:
> > >> But it seems to me that enclosing the laptop in a Faraday cage would
> > solve
> > >> this problem.  Such a cage could be built-in to the laptop at
> > manufacture.
> > >
> > > It seems to me that might hurt your WiFi performance. :)  Maybe it
> > > would be easier to cover the microphone inputs. Maybe even some scotch
> > > tape would work?
> > >
> > > Walt
> > >
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___________________________________________________________________________
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Announcements - http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce
General Discussion  --   http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug

___________________________________________________________________________
Philadelphia Linux Users Group         --        http://www.phillylinux.org
Announcements - http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce
General Discussion  --   http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
___________________________________________________________________________
Philadelphia Linux Users Group         --        http://www.phillylinux.org
Announcements - http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce
General Discussion  --   http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug