Though it doesn't address concerns of NSA snooping, this[1] article has a lot of relevant information (and will probably be of a lot more interest to Hacker News readers as it addresses issues such as when the camera can be on while the light is off, discusses ethics and dangers of technology, and is more than just a knee-jerk reaction to the possibility of NSA using our webcams to snoop on us now)

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5354362

I've often wondered how reliable the red light (indicating that the camera is on) is. What level of backdooring would be required for <nefarious organization> to turn on the camera without turning on the light? Chip level, I assume?

any one else been doing this for years too?