<s>
A	O
webcam	B-Protocol
is	O
a	O
video	O
camera	O
which	O
is	O
designed	O
to	O
record	O
or	O
stream	O
to	O
a	O
computer	O
or	O
computer	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
are	O
primarily	O
used	O
in	O
video	B-Application
telephony	I-Application
,	O
live	O
streaming	O
and	O
social	O
media	O
,	O
and	O
security	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Webcams	B-Protocol
can	O
be	O
built-in	O
computer	O
hardware	O
or	O
peripheral	O
devices	O
,	O
and	O
are	O
commonly	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
device	O
using	O
USB	B-Protocol
or	O
wireless	B-Protocol
protocols	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Webcams	B-Protocol
have	O
been	O
used	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
as	O
early	O
as	O
1993	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
first	O
widespread	O
commercial	O
one	O
became	O
available	O
in	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
webcam	B-Protocol
usage	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
was	O
primarily	O
limited	O
to	O
stationary	O
shots	O
streamed	O
to	O
web	O
sites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
and	O
early	O
2000s	O
,	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
clients	O
added	O
support	O
for	O
webcams	B-Protocol
,	O
increasing	O
their	O
popularity	O
in	O
video	B-Application
conferencing	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
manufacturers	O
also	O
started	O
integrating	O
webcams	B-Protocol
into	O
laptop	B-Device
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
caused	O
a	O
shortage	O
of	O
webcams	B-Protocol
due	O
to	O
the	O
increased	O
number	O
of	O
people	O
working	O
from	O
home	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	O
developed	O
in	O
1991	O
,	O
a	O
webcam	B-Protocol
was	O
pointed	O
at	O
the	O
Trojan	O
Room	O
coffee	O
pot	O
in	O
the	O
Cambridge	O
University	O
Computer	O
Science	O
Department	O
(	O
initially	O
operating	O
over	O
a	O
local	O
network	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
web	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
oldest	O
continuously	O
operating	O
webcam	B-Protocol
,	O
San	O
Francisco	O
State	O
University	O
's	O
FogCam	O
,	O
has	O
run	O
since	O
1994	O
and	O
is	O
still	O
operating	O
as	O
of	O
October	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
released	O
in	O
1993	O
SGI	B-Operating_System
Indy	I-Operating_System
is	O
the	O
first	O
commercial	O
computer	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
standard	O
video	O
camera	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
first	O
SGI	O
computer	O
to	O
have	O
standard	O
video	O
inputs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
maximum	O
supported	O
input	O
resolution	B-Algorithm
is	O
640×480	O
for	O
NTSC	O
or	O
768×576	O
for	O
PAL	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
fast	O
machine	O
is	O
required	O
to	O
capture	O
at	O
either	O
of	O
these	O
resolutions	O
,	O
though	O
;	O
an	O
Indy	O
with	O
slower	O
R4600PC	B-Device
CPU	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
may	O
require	O
the	O
input	O
resolution	B-Algorithm
to	O
be	O
reduced	O
before	O
storage	O
or	O
processing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
widespread	O
commercial	O
webcam	B-Protocol
,	O
the	O
black-and-white	O
QuickCam	B-Protocol
,	O
entered	O
the	O
marketplace	O
in	O
1994	O
,	O
created	O
by	O
the	O
U.S.	O
computer	O
company	O
Connectix	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
QuickCam	B-Protocol
was	O
available	O
in	O
August	O
1994	O
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
Macintosh	I-Device
,	O
connecting	O
via	O
a	O
serial	B-Protocol
port	I-Protocol
,	O
at	O
a	O
cost	O
of	O
$100	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jon	O
Garber	O
,	O
the	O
designer	O
of	O
the	O
device	O
,	O
had	O
wanted	O
to	O
call	O
it	O
the	O
"	O
Mac-camera	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
overruled	O
by	O
Connectix	O
's	O
marketing	O
department	O
;	O
a	O
version	O
with	O
a	O
PC-compatible	O
parallel	O
port	O
and	O
software	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
was	O
launched	O
in	O
October	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
Quick	O
Cam	O
provided	O
320x240-pixel	O
resolution	B-Algorithm
with	O
a	O
grayscale	O
depth	O
of	O
16	O
shades	O
at	O
60	O
frames	O
per	O
second	O
,	O
or	O
256	O
shades	O
at	O
15	O
frames	O
per	O
second	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Videoconferencing	B-Application
via	O
computers	O
already	O
existed	O
,	O
and	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
client-server	B-Operating_System
based	O
videoconferencing	B-Application
software	O
such	O
as	O
CU-SeeMe	B-Protocol
had	O
started	O
to	O
become	O
popular	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
widely	O
known	O
laptop	B-Device
with	O
integrated	O
webcam	B-Protocol
option	O
,	O
at	O
a	O
pricepoint	O
starting	O
at	O
US$	O
12	O
,	O
000	O
,	O
was	O
an	O
IBM	B-Device
RS/6000	I-Device
860	O
laptop	B-Device
and	O
his	O
ThinkPad	B-Device
850	I-Device
sibling	O
,	O
released	O
in	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
widely	O
reported-on	O
webcam	B-Protocol
sites	O
was	O
JenniCam	O
,	O
created	O
in	O
1996	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
Internet	O
users	O
to	O
observe	O
the	O
life	O
of	O
its	O
namesake	O
constantly	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
vein	O
as	O
the	O
reality	O
TV	O
series	O
Big	O
Brother	O
,	O
launched	O
four	O
years	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
cameras	O
are	O
mounted	O
overlooking	O
bridges	O
,	O
public	O
squares	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
public	O
places	O
,	O
their	O
output	O
made	O
available	O
on	O
a	O
public	O
web	O
page	O
in	O
accordance	O
with	O
the	O
original	O
concept	O
of	O
a	O
"	O
webcam	B-Protocol
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
,	O
Microsoft	B-Protocol
NetMeeting	I-Protocol
was	O
the	O
only	O
videoconferencing	B-Application
software	O
on	O
PC	B-Device
in	O
widespread	O
use	O
,	O
making	O
use	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
webcams	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
following	O
years	O
,	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
clients	O
started	O
adding	O
webcam	B-Protocol
support	O
:	O
Yahoo	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
introduced	O
this	O
with	O
version	O
5.5	O
in	O
2002	O
,	O
allowing	O
video	B-Application
calling	I-Application
in	O
20	O
frames	O
per	O
second	O
using	O
a	O
webcam	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
MSN	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
gained	O
this	O
in	O
version	O
5.0	O
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
the	O
turn	O
of	O
the	O
21st	O
century	O
,	O
computer	O
hardware	O
manufacturers	O
began	O
building	O
webcams	B-Protocol
directly	O
into	O
laptop	B-Device
and	O
desktop	O
screens	O
,	O
thus	O
eliminating	O
the	O
need	O
to	O
use	O
an	O
external	O
USB	B-Protocol
or	O
FireWire	B-Protocol
camera	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gradually	O
webcams	B-Protocol
came	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
more	O
for	O
telecommunications	O
,	O
or	O
videotelephony	B-Application
,	O
between	O
two	O
people	O
,	O
or	O
among	O
several	O
people	O
,	O
than	O
for	O
offering	O
a	O
view	O
on	O
a	O
Web	O
page	O
to	O
an	O
unknown	O
public	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
less	O
than	O
US$100	O
in	O
2012	O
,	O
a	O
three-dimensional	O
space	O
webcam	B-Protocol
became	O
available	O
,	O
producing	O
videos	O
and	O
photos	O
in	O
3D	B-Algorithm
anaglyph	I-Algorithm
image	O
with	O
a	O
resolution	B-Algorithm
up	O
to	O
1280	O
×	O
480	O
pixels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Webcams	B-Protocol
are	O
considered	O
an	O
essential	O
accessory	O
for	O
remote	O
work	O
,	O
mainly	O
to	O
compensate	O
for	O
lower	O
quality	O
video	O
processing	O
with	O
the	O
built-in	O
camera	O
of	O
the	O
average	O
laptop	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
,	O
there	O
was	O
a	O
shortage	O
of	O
webcams	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
laptops	B-Device
before	O
and	O
during	O
the	O
pandemic	O
were	O
made	O
with	O
cameras	O
capping	O
out	O
at	O
720p	O
recording	O
quality	O
at	O
best	O
,	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
industry	O
standard	O
of	O
1080p	O
or	O
4K	O
seen	O
in	O
smartphones	O
and	O
televisions	O
from	O
the	O
same	O
period	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
backlog	O
on	O
new	O
developments	O
for	O
built-in	O
webcams	B-Protocol
is	O
the	O
result	O
of	O
a	O
design	O
flaw	O
with	O
laptops	B-Device
being	O
too	O
thin	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
7mm	O
camera	O
modules	O
to	O
fit	O
inside	O
,	O
instead	O
resorting	O
to	O
~	O
2.5mm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
the	O
camera	O
components	O
are	O
more	O
expensive	O
and	O
not	O
a	O
high	O
level	O
of	O
demand	O
for	O
this	O
feature	O
,	O
companies	O
like	O
Apple	O
have	O
not	O
updated	O
their	O
webcams	B-Protocol
since	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Smartphones	O
started	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
backup	O
option	O
or	O
webcam	B-Protocol
replacement	O
,	O
with	O
kits	O
including	O
lighting	O
and	O
tripods	O
or	O
downloadable	O
apps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Image	O
sensors	O
can	O
be	O
CMOS	B-Device
or	O
CCD	B-Algorithm
,	O
the	O
former	O
being	O
dominant	O
for	O
low-cost	O
cameras	O
,	O
but	O
CCD	B-Algorithm
cameras	I-Algorithm
do	O
not	O
necessarily	O
outperform	O
CMOS-based	O
cameras	O
in	O
the	O
low-price	O
range	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
consumer	O
webcams	B-Protocol
are	O
capable	O
of	O
providing	O
VGA-resolution	O
video	O
at	O
a	O
frame	O
rate	O
of	O
30	O
frames	O
per	O
second	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
newer	O
devices	O
can	O
produce	O
video	O
in	O
multi-megapixel	O
resolutions	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
few	O
can	O
run	O
at	O
high	O
frame	O
rates	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Eye	I-Device
,	O
which	O
can	O
produce	O
320×240	O
video	O
at	O
120	O
frames	O
per	O
second	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
webcams	B-Protocol
evolved	O
simultaneously	O
with	O
display	O
technologies	O
,	O
USB	B-Protocol
interface	O
speeds	O
and	O
broadband	O
internet	O
speeds	O
,	O
the	O
resolution	B-Algorithm
went	O
up	O
from	O
gradually	O
from	O
320×240	O
,	O
to	O
640×480	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
now	O
even	O
offer	O
1280×720	O
(	O
aka	O
720p	O
)	O
or	O
1920×1080	O
(	O
aka	O
1080p	O
)	O
resolution	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
low	O
cost	O
,	O
the	O
resolution	B-Algorithm
offered	O
as	O
of	O
2019	O
is	O
impressive	O
,	O
with	O
now	O
the	O
low-end	O
webcams	B-Protocol
offering	O
resolutions	O
of	O
720p	O
,	O
mid-range	O
webcams	B-Protocol
offering	O
1080p	O
resolution	B-Algorithm
,	O
and	O
high-end	O
webcams	B-Protocol
offering	O
4K	O
resolution	B-Algorithm
at	O
60	O
fps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Various	O
lenses	O
are	O
available	O
,	O
the	O
most	O
common	O
in	O
consumer-grade	O
webcams	B-Protocol
being	O
a	O
plastic	O
lens	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
manually	O
moved	O
in	O
and	O
out	O
to	O
focus	O
the	O
camera	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
camera	O
system	O
's	O
depth	O
of	O
field	O
is	O
greater	O
for	O
small	O
image	O
formats	O
and	O
is	O
greater	O
for	O
lenses	O
with	O
a	O
large	O
f-number	O
(	O
small	O
aperture	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
systems	O
used	O
in	O
webcams	B-Protocol
have	O
a	O
sufficiently	O
large	O
depth	O
of	O
field	O
that	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
fixed-focus	O
lens	O
does	O
not	O
impact	O
image	O
sharpness	O
to	O
a	O
great	O
extent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Webcams	B-Protocol
can	O
come	O
with	O
different	O
presets	O
and	O
fields	O
of	O
view	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Webcams	B-Protocol
with	O
as	O
much	O
as	O
360°	O
horizontal	O
FOV	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
small	O
-	O
to	O
medium-sized	O
rooms	O
(	O
sometimes	O
even	O
large	O
rooms	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Depending	O
on	O
the	O
users	O
 '	O
purposes	O
,	O
webcams	B-Protocol
in	O
the	O
market	O
can	O
display	O
the	O
whole	O
room	O
or	O
just	O
the	O
general	O
vicinity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
bayer	B-Algorithm
filter	I-Algorithm
is	O
proprietary	O
,	O
any	O
webcam	B-Protocol
contains	O
some	O
built-in	O
image	B-Algorithm
processing	I-Algorithm
,	O
separate	O
from	O
compression	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
if	O
not	O
all	O
cheap	O
webcams	B-Protocol
come	O
with	O
built-in	O
ASIC	O
to	O
do	O
video	O
compression	O
in	O
real-time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
camera	O
pictured	O
to	O
the	O
right	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
uses	O
a	O
Sonix	O
SN9C101	O
to	O
transmit	O
its	O
image	O
over	O
USB	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
cameras	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
mobile-phone	O
cameras	O
,	O
use	O
a	O
CMOS	B-Device
sensor	O
with	O
supporting	O
electronics	O
"	O
on	O
die	O
"	O
,	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
webcams	B-Protocol
feature	O
built-in	O
microphones	B-Application
to	O
make	O
video	B-Application
calling	I-Application
and	O
videoconferencing	B-Application
more	O
convenient	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Typical	O
interfaces	B-Application
used	O
by	O
articles	O
marketed	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
webcam	B-Protocol
"	O
are	O
USB	B-Protocol
,	O
Ethernet	O
and	O
IEEE	O
802.11	O
(	O
denominated	O
as	O
IP	B-Algorithm
camera	I-Algorithm
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
interfaces	B-Application
such	O
as	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Composite	O
video	O
,	O
S-Video	O
or	O
FireWire	B-Protocol
were	O
also	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
USB	B-Application
video	I-Application
device	I-Application
class	I-Application
(	O
UVC	O
)	O
specification	O
allows	O
inter-connectivity	O
of	O
webcams	B-Protocol
to	O
computers	O
without	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
proprietary	O
device	O
drivers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
could	O
use	O
Guvcview	B-Language
or	O
GStreamer	B-Language
and	O
GStreamer-based	O
software	O
to	O
handle	O
the	O
UVC	O
stream	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
could	O
use	O
multiple	O
USB	B-Protocol
cameras	I-Protocol
attached	O
to	O
the	O
host	O
computer	O
the	O
software	O
resides	O
on	O
,	O
and	O
broadcast	O
multiple	O
streams	O
at	O
once	O
over	O
(	O
Wireless	O
)	O
Ethernet	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
MotionEye	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Various	O
software	O
tools	O
in	O
wide	O
use	O
can	O
be	O
employed	O
to	O
take	O
video	O
and	O
pictures	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
PicMaster	B-Application
and	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Camera	O
app	O
(	O
for	O
use	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
operating	I-Application
systems	I-Application
)	O
,	O
Photo	B-Application
Booth	I-Application
(	O
Mac	B-Device
)	O
,	O
or	O
Cheese	B-Language
(	O
with	O
Unix	B-Application
systems	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
a	O
more	O
complete	O
list	O
see	O
Comparison	B-Device
of	I-Device
webcam	I-Device
software	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
popular	O
use	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
webcams	I-Protocol
is	O
the	O
establishment	O
of	O
video	B-Application
links	I-Application
,	O
permitting	O
computers	O
to	O
act	O
as	O
videophones	B-Application
or	O
videoconference	B-Application
stations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Apple	O
's	O
iSight	B-Protocol
camera	I-Protocol
,	O
which	O
is	O
built	O
into	O
Apple	O
laptops	B-Device
,	O
iMacs	O
and	O
a	O
majority	O
of	O
iPhones	B-Device
,	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
video	B-Application
chat	I-Application
sessions	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
Messages	B-Protocol
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
program	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
popular	O
uses	O
include	O
security	O
surveillance	O
,	O
computer	B-Application
vision	I-Application
,	O
video	O
broadcasting	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
recording	O
social	O
videos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Webcams	B-Protocol
can	O
be	O
added	O
to	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
,	O
text	O
chat	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
AOL	B-Protocol
Instant	I-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
,	O
and	O
VoIP	B-Application
services	O
such	O
as	O
Skype	B-Application
,	O
one-to-one	O
live	O
video	O
communication	O
over	O
the	O
Internet	O
has	O
now	O
reached	O
millions	O
of	O
mainstream	O
PC	B-Device
users	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Improved	O
video	O
quality	O
has	O
helped	O
webcams	B-Protocol
encroach	O
on	O
traditional	O
video	B-Application
conferencing	I-Application
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
automatic	O
lighting	O
controls	O
,	O
real-time	O
enhancements	O
(	O
retouching	O
,	O
wrinkle	O
smoothing	O
and	O
vertical	O
stretch	O
)	O
,	O
automatic	O
face	B-Operating_System
tracking	I-Operating_System
and	O
autofocus	O
,	O
assist	O
users	O
by	O
providing	O
substantial	O
ease-of-use	O
,	O
further	O
increasing	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
webcams	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Webcams	B-Protocol
can	O
also	O
encourage	O
remote	O
work	O
,	O
enabling	O
people	O
to	O
work	O
remotely	O
via	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Businesses	O
,	O
schools	O
,	O
and	O
individuals	O
have	O
relied	O
on	O
video	B-Application
conferencing	I-Application
instead	O
of	O
spending	O
on	O
business	O
travel	O
for	O
meetings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Moreover	O
,	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
video	B-Application
conferencing	I-Application
cameras	O
and	O
software	O
have	O
multiplied	O
since	O
then	O
due	O
to	O
their	O
popularity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Webcam	B-Protocol
features	O
and	O
performance	O
can	O
vary	O
by	O
program	B-Application
,	O
computer	B-General_Concept
operating	I-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
also	O
by	O
the	O
computer	O
's	O
processor	B-General_Concept
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	B-Application
calling	I-Application
support	O
has	O
also	O
been	O
added	O
to	O
several	O
popular	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Webcams	B-Protocol
allow	O
for	O
inexpensive	O
,	O
real-time	O
video	B-Application
chat	I-Application
and	O
webcasting	O
,	O
in	O
both	O
amateur	O
and	O
professional	O
pursuits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
ease	O
of	O
webcam	B-Protocol
use	O
through	O
the	O
Internet	O
for	O
video	B-Application
chat	I-Application
has	O
also	O
caused	O
issues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
moderation	O
system	O
of	O
various	O
video	B-Application
chat	I-Application
websites	O
such	O
as	O
Omegle	O
has	O
been	O
criticized	O
as	O
being	O
ineffective	O
,	O
with	O
sexual	O
content	O
still	O
rampant	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
popularity	O
of	O
webcams	B-Protocol
among	O
teenagers	O
with	O
Internet	O
access	O
has	O
raised	O
concern	O
about	O
the	O
use	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
webcams	I-Protocol
for	O
cyber-bullying	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Webcam	B-Protocol
recordings	O
of	O
teenagers	O
,	O
including	O
underage	O
teenagers	O
,	O
are	O
frequently	O
posted	O
on	O
popular	O
Web	O
forums	O
and	O
imageboards	O
such	O
as	O
4chan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Webcams	B-Protocol
can	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
security	O
cameras	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Software	O
is	O
available	O
to	O
allow	O
PC-connected	O
cameras	O
to	O
watch	O
for	O
movement	O
and	O
sound	O
,	O
recording	O
both	O
when	O
they	O
are	O
detected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2011	O
,	O
Russia	O
announced	O
that	O
290,000	O
Webcams	B-Protocol
would	O
be	O
installed	O
in	O
90,000	O
polling	O
stations	O
to	O
monitor	O
the	O
2012	O
Russian	O
presidential	O
election	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Webcams	B-Protocol
may	O
be	O
installed	O
at	O
places	O
such	O
as	O
childcare	O
centres	O
,	O
offices	O
,	O
shops	O
and	O
private	O
areas	O
to	O
monitor	O
security	O
and	O
general	O
activity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
very-low-light	O
capability	O
,	O
a	O
few	O
specific	O
models	O
of	O
webcams	B-Protocol
are	O
very	O
popular	O
to	O
photograph	O
the	O
night	O
sky	O
by	O
astronomers	O
and	O
astro	O
photographers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mostly	O
,	O
these	O
are	O
manual-focus	O
cameras	O
and	O
contain	O
an	O
old	O
CCD	B-Algorithm
array	I-Algorithm
instead	O
of	O
comparatively	O
newer	O
CMOS	B-Device
array	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
webcam	B-Protocol
's	O
CCD	B-Algorithm
response	O
is	O
linearly	O
proportional	O
to	O
the	O
incoming	O
light	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Therefore	O
,	O
webcams	B-Protocol
are	O
suitable	O
to	O
record	O
laser	O
beam	O
profiles	O
,	O
after	O
the	O
lens	O
is	O
removed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
resolution	B-Algorithm
of	O
a	O
laser	O
beam	O
profiler	O
depends	O
on	O
the	O
pixel	O
size	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Commercial	O
webcams	B-Protocol
are	O
usually	O
designed	O
to	O
record	O
color	O
images	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
size	O
of	O
a	O
webcam	B-Protocol
's	O
color	O
pixel	O
depends	O
on	O
the	O
model	O
and	O
may	O
lie	O
in	O
the	O
range	O
of	O
5	O
to	O
10µm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
a	O
color	O
pixel	O
consists	O
of	O
four	O
black	O
and	O
white	O
pixels	O
each	O
equipped	O
with	O
a	O
color	O
filter	O
(	O
for	O
details	O
see	O
Bayer	B-Algorithm
filter	I-Algorithm
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
switching	O
a	O
webcam	B-Protocol
into	O
the	O
Bayer-mode	O
it	O
is	O
possible	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
information	O
of	O
the	O
single	O
pixels	O
and	O
a	O
resolution	B-Algorithm
below	O
3µm	O
was	O
possible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
users	O
do	O
not	O
wish	O
the	O
continuous	O
exposure	O
for	O
which	O
webcams	B-Protocol
were	O
originally	O
intended	O
,	O
but	O
rather	O
prefer	O
privacy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
privacy	O
is	O
lost	O
when	O
malware	O
allow	O
malicious	O
hackers	O
to	O
activate	O
the	O
webcam	B-Protocol
without	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
knowledge	O
,	O
providing	O
the	O
hackers	O
with	O
a	O
live	O
video	O
and	O
audio	O
feed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
a	O
particular	O
concern	O
on	O
many	O
laptop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
as	O
such	O
cameras	O
normally	O
cannot	O
be	O
physically	O
disabled	O
if	O
hijacked	O
by	O
such	O
a	O
Trojan	O
Horse	O
program	B-Application
or	O
other	O
similar	O
spyware	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cameras	O
such	O
as	O
Apple	O
's	O
older	O
external	O
iSight	B-Protocol
cameras	I-Protocol
include	O
lens	O
covers	O
to	O
thwart	O
this	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
webcams	B-Protocol
have	O
built-in	O
hardwired	O
LED	O
indicators	O
that	O
light	O
up	O
whenever	O
the	O
camera	O
is	O
active	O
,	O
sometimes	O
only	O
in	O
video	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
possible	O
,	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
circuit	O
design	O
of	O
a	O
webcam	B-Protocol
,	O
for	O
malware	O
to	O
circumvent	O
the	O
indicator	O
and	O
activate	O
the	O
camera	O
surreptitiously	O
,	O
as	O
researchers	O
demonstrated	O
in	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
a	O
MacBook	B-Device
's	O
built-in	O
camera	O
in	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
process	O
of	O
attempting	O
to	O
hack	O
into	O
a	O
person	O
's	O
webcam	B-Protocol
and	O
activate	O
it	O
without	O
the	O
webcam	B-Protocol
owner	O
's	O
permission	O
has	O
been	O
called	O
camfecting	O
,	O
a	O
portmanteau	O
of	O
cam	O
and	O
infecting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
remotely	O
activated	O
webcam	B-Protocol
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
watch	O
anything	O
within	O
the	O
webcam	B-Protocol
's	O
field	O
of	O
vision	O
.	O
</s>
