Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Watching You


At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? On Tuesdays I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements. 😉

What if you found out someone was watching everything you do on your computer screen?

(This week's question pulled from my life. Long story. But I was the watcher, not the watched.)

21 comments:

  1. My son says people can actually watch you through the cameras on laptops. Scary! I think if I knew someone was watching everything I was doing, I'd figure out a way to block them. My son, the computer genius, could probably help me with that.

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    1. I heard that, too. Which is why my camera is always covered ;)

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  2. I often wonder on my work computer if there is someone watching me while I'm working. We are monitored for every little thing (and I mean every little thing) so it wouldn't surprise me if they had some sort of camera connected somehow. If I knew that for sure, I may be tempted one day to work topless, LOL :)

    betty

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  3. They'd think I stare at the computer too long...
    Yes, you can be watched through your own camera. Glad I don't have one.

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  4. Oh man. Now I've got another thing to be paranoid about.

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  5. I would laugh because whoever is watching me would be sooooo bored! On the other hand, you were the watcher.. Not creepy at all. Hahahahaha :) - Great question!

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    1. I didn't specify the situation. For me, it was in a classroom. They really had no expectation of privacy.

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  6. I haven't covered my laptop camera - not yet anyway. I'm sure my audience, if any, would be bored. Why don't I stick my tongue out now to mix it up.

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    1. But what if they saw your computer screen? (Not you through a camera.)

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  7. I'd definitely be furious, and ready to go sock whoever is watching me.

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  8. They say that happens already so my hubby used to put a piece of tape across the camera...when we had a computer. If they are watching me, they would be very bored

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    1. But I wasn't talking about the camera. I was talking about someone seeing what's on your screen as you see it.

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    2. Oh well, aside from my banking which would suck, they would be bored

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  9. Ha! I'd probably ham it up! I walk around naked in my house. You want to watch? Avert your eyes, moron! Although I'd be annoyed if my new book was plagiarized before it was finished.

    For a while, I kept a little piece of post-it across my laptop camera, but then when I needed the camera for skype, the image was blurry. Adhesive residue. Now I just shut my laptop at night.

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    1. You can put a piece of index card over the camera and then tape that shut. But, I was talking about what's on your screen, not seeing you per se.

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  10. I'm with Red, though I used electrical tape and found the same issue. Heh... Smart phones and things like Alexa bother me. Also, there was a horrible 'game show' like this in Japan years ago. We heard about it on NPR, if I remember correctly. Awful story. And now I want to know *your* story! Be well.

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    1. Alas, my story is rather boring--not good enough to make a blog post. (It was interesting to me. At school. Watching kiddos not work. And someone else.)

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  11. I have already considered this. AS for someone watching where i go on line and seeing everything do on my computer, well, it wouldn't be all that exciting, except maybe for the weird research I delve into when I'm writing...

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  12. I got a spam email threatening me this last week with releasing a video of them watching me through my laptop camera. I was like nope I have that sucker covered in washi tape. lol

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I appreciate your comments.

I respond to comments* via email, unless your profile email is not enabled. Then, I'll reply in the comment thread. Eventually. Probably.

*Exception: I do not respond to "what if?" comments, but I do read them all. Those questions are open to your interpretation, and I don't wish to limit your imagination by what I thought the question was supposed to be.