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Simple Device Can Shield You From Web Cam Snoops

By John Dodge

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A local entrepreneur has developed a simple and elegant way to protect your privacy while using your computer.

Ananda Svarupa Das of Chicago has created a small magnetic device called Nope, which can easily slide over any internal computer web camera.

"We started this project because we volunteer with students who use digital camera enabled devices," Svarupa Das wrote on his Kickstarter crowd-funding page.

"The shocking truth is that just about anyone can hack into your computer and turn on the camera without you even knowing it. The only way to guarantee your privacy is to cover the camera when you are not using it."

The Nope is actually two small magnets. One sits on a fixed position, while the second can slide around the "mother magnet" in an orbital movement to cover or uncover the camera's lens.

The fixed Nope is attached with thin tape. The other magnet is held in place by magnetic pull. There is a thin space between the magnet and the computer, so the magnet does not touch the computer.

The Nope doesn't affect a user's ability to fully close a laptop.

The project is hugely popular on Kickstarter, raising nearly $90,000.

Time is running out, but a $5 donation will secure one Nope device.

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