Spyware can be installed to take control of cameras
INNOCENT people could be the victims of revenge porn as sick fantasists are hacking into webcams on Smart TVs and computers.
Malicious software, otherwise known as spyware, can let people take remote control of webcams and built in cameras, switching them on without the owner ever knowing.
Images and video can easily be lifted from someone using another computer hundreds of miles away, which can then end up online.
Some of the intimate images that are broadcast on the web could have been taken with consent at the time, but increasingly people are finding an ex-partner installed snooping software without them realising.
A high-profile case of a “peeping Tom” is Andrew Meldrum, who accumulated thousands of photos of just two women - including countless naked images.
Meldrum was able to access the pic after the installed software on their computers allowing him to control their webcam, under the pretence of repairing their gadgets.
He was handed a 12-month suspended sentence in 2014 and a fine after spying for more than a year.
But it’s not just laptops which pose a risk, Smart TVs - which have built in cameras - are on the rise as more and more people use them for video chats or gaming.
They are just as susceptible to be hacked by tech-savvy sickos.
Laura Higgins, founder of the Revenge Porn Helpline, spoke out about the growing trend.
She said: “We have dealt with one couple who were filmed making love in their living room through their smart TV by someone who had taken control of it.
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