Laptop Repairman Hacks Laptops to Get Pictures of Women

Because peeping in through windows is too inefficient apparently.

I've got two opinions on this:

1. I know how to work a computer and find out if this sort of shit is happening and I do so regularly. Most people don't and those that do don't exactly clean out often. This means that most people don't know what any software does and trusts that it does what the box says and nothing less, making it quite easier for more clever people to do this sort of stuff without ever getting detected. For the record, there is a code of ethics for programmers and other software and hardware technicians, but like child abuse, it's hard to track.
2. Those women aren't exactly bright, but then again I know plenty of guys who would fall for the same thing.

edited 10th Jun '11 10:34:31 AM by Usht

The thing about making witty signature lines is that it first needs to actually be witty.

It's not just the repairmen, a couple of schools have had the same misbehavior going on, with laptops provided to students being set up for monitoring. Which seems reasonable, but it has consequences.

Time to get a piece of tape.

I read the same story in my newspaper today. I agree that it's easy in retrospect to mock people for falling for this kind of trick, but then there are people who still respond to e-mails from exiled Nigerian generals wanting to use their bank account. It just goes to show that computers are a mystery for a lot of us (including me), in spite of how much we use them, so we're inclined to accept weird-sounding suggestions about how to maintain them.

I think the comment to the effect "why bother to do this when there's so much porn available" is misplaced. The availability of more porn hasn't stopped Peeping Toms generally - it's not that simple.

"Well, it's a lifestyle"

The primary issue here is a lack of education. I, for example, am paranoid about this sort of thing *

and thus run regular antivirus scans ('regular' meaning 'daily') and currently have a bit of a Post-It Note over my webcam.

If paranoid, I'd recommend blu-tac.

Oh, this is one of those things that happens cause people have cameras in their computers now, isn't it?

Fight smart, not fair.

This is probably why my new netbook has an "off switch"*

.

[1] This facsimile operated in part by synAC.

As the experts say: 'l2computers before putting n00ds on it'

"Take your (...) hippy dream world, I'll take reality and earning my happiness with my own efforts" - Barkey

Where can I see those pictures?

Not funny?

A message said to place the laptop near hot steam, oh that's just classic

hashtagsarestupid

This has happened before with snoops from groups like geek squad.

Who watches the watchmen?

How does your computer ever have time to do anything else, then?

"It takes an idiot to do cool things, that's why it's cool" - Haruhara Haruko

Some computers are faster than others.

Da Rules excuse all the inaccuracy in the world. Listen to them, not me.

@captainbrass 2

I dunno, personally I gotta agree with the last paragraph on that article. Why would you bother doing this sort of thing, when you can get plenty of free porn of attractive women quite easily?

edited 11th Jun '11 9:21:09 AM by Jeysie

Apparently I am adorable, but my GF is my #1 Groupie. (Avatar by Dreki-K)

Some men like the connection better. ok, so it's not real, they like to think, hey, this is a person, not just some random slut who could be anywhere in the world.

At least that's my understanding of it.

Well, the good news is that people are still too stupid to run computers, so (honest) system management people will never become outdated.

That's quite some silver lining to this all.

The thing about making witty signature lines is that it first needs to actually be witty.

I agree with the article; why bother breaking multiple laws and risking your job to get blurry webcam pictures of women, when you can find plenty of free legal porn? If its amateur stuff that jumps your jets, there are plenty of sites that cater to that angle as well.

This guy deserved what he got, for stupidity if nothing else.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

I was going to say why bother with the unwilling when there are plenty of willing participants ready to make porn for fun and free or for profit. Really is about 20-30 bucks for one month of random porn service with amateurs vs the prison time that much of a cost gap for the guy?

This is also why I am wary of others working on my computer and possibly stealing information or things I don't want them to have.

Who watches the watchmen?