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Scared Dad Must Disable iSight!

W

WonderW

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 3, 2011
5
0
Next week is my daughter's birthday. I promised her I would create a user account on my iMac for her. Obviously it will have all the bells and whistles (monitoring software). However is there a way to disable the iSight camera in her user account. I'm willing to disable the iSight completely. I hope you understand and can help. :)


iMac, Processor 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, OS 10.6.7
 
She must be good looking.

I suggest an awl and hammer, if it gets down to the wire.
 
My wife and I are on the same page with computers. Basically, we have a mac mini for my girls. That computer is setup in a public location, so that we can over see computer usage. They will not have a computer in their bedroom, regardless of their age.

This generally mitigates the issues with iSight, improper surfing etc. We also have parental controls as well.
 
This is a very good idea. I'm glad to hear you're actually bothering to keep an eye on what your kids are doing on the net. If you've not already done it, I recommend you setup parental controls for her account, you may even be able to block her from using any apps that use the camera, or maybe just specific apps like PhotoBooth, etc.
 
Rosh said:
I would hate to be your daugher.
Click to expand...

As a child who grew up when the Internet exploded in the mid to late '90s, you would be shocked at the things I've seen as a young boy or the inappropriate chats I've had with young girls.

Granted I am a male so I didn't mind seeing some of those things and I was often the one that initiated those inappropriate conversations. Now that I am an adult, I completely understand where the OP is coming from.

I think it is a good idea to use monitoring software but only for the purposes of making sure she isn't meeting up with a guy in person. You might see some chats that may freak you out but in the end, it is all a part of growing up. If you're panicking over a webcam or instant message, I'd hate to imagine how your blood pressure will be when your kids go to college. ;)
 
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Good job being a good parent. As to your question, I don't know.
 
Arran said:
And if you want a neat, more permanent job, put the tape behind the glass. The glass is held on with a few magnets and can be easily removed with a suction cup.
Click to expand...

Off-topic, but I just replaced the hard drive on my iMac and was amazed how easy it was to remove the glass. I couldn't find any appropriate suction cups locally but amazon had tons of cheap ones that did the job.

To the OP: I found this link with a quick google: http://osxdaily.com/2007/03/26/how-to-disable-the-built-in-isight-camera/

I'm not sure if it will work on snow leopard, but it's worth a shot. I'm kind of surprised they don't have this built into the parental restrictions; it seems like a good idea.
 
Rosh said:
I would hate to be your daugher.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't. Giving a child everything without knowing you can trust them to be sensible with it first is just daft. Over time will come further allowances. With the allowances comes responsibility. Simple.
 
G-Mo said:
Parental controls, yes.
Computer in a public place, yes.
Disable iSight, yes.
Monitoring software, NO!
Click to expand...

I completely agree with this line. I myself grew up in the Internet boom of the 90s and got into a bunch of trouble that I could not have done if the computer was in a public place and being actually monitored by my parents. They thought they were clever enough by putting bios passwords to prevent me from logging in, Internet "nannies", etc. All that did was encourage me to disable and subvert them. Good old fashioned parenting is the real key here, not using new tools.

A good analogy for this is the warnings that come on all baby products these days: "This product is only a deterrent. It is not a substitute for proper adult supervision."
 
You could disable the iSight ... but what about the USB webcam she has that you do not know about? Kids are very resourceful, what they can't get from their parents they can get from their friends.

............

Computer in an OPEN AREA
Parental Controls
Good TRUSTING relationship with your children.
Time Restrictions on Computer Access by Account
 
Actually if online safety is the key here I would not bother with parental controls, they can be circumvented. Rather use SpectorSoft Pro and only give her a standard user account reserving admin rights to yourself.

Spectorsoft instead monitors activity by stealth. It takes screenshots at time intervals you specify. It can monitor chat, web activity, keystrokes, email (set the email account up in Mac Mail and show her how to use it) and many other facets. I've set this on a customers computer and was quite impressed with the level of detailed logging which you can customize as well as the amount of history to maintain.

Unlike parental controls she won't hit walls with falsely flagged legitimate websites nor hunt out means of circumvention. Instead she can use the computer normally. If there is something truly alarming you can discuss it with her.

They also make eBlaster. Which purports to be the same excepting it is for remote monitoring, I have not set it up for any customers so could not give an opinion. When ordering SpectorSoft they also had an additional option of sending you reports of activity by e-mail at an additional cost.
 
Lord Appleseed said:
Since i find the Idea stupid i am not providing a Link here. But there is a way to disable iSight via Script. Google will help you.
Click to expand...

I take it you don't have teenage daughters and the peer pressure put on them by young lads to do "web Chats..... wink wink"

In reply to thread starter. Tape behind the glass is a good solution and if you want a more user friendly option. I'd guess any local community college will have a computer science lecturer who will already have a solution and may even set up your computer's iSight to switch on&off.
 
Parental control is the easiest. One way is to "Limit Applications", under the allowed applications make sure Facetime, Photo Booth (and any similar app) are unchecked. Another approach is to limit the People she can contact. Under People, check Limit Mail and Limit Chat, then enter Allowed Contacts. You can do both steps if you want. I prefer the second approach, limiting contacts.

If you want to disable iSight for all accounts, you can do that through Terminal, the file you would want to move is:

/System/Library/QuickTime/QuickTimeUSBVDCDigitizer.component
 
Rosh said:
I would hate to be your daugher.
Click to expand...

It's comments like this is why parents need to worry about the people on the internet...


tbobmccoy said:
I completely agree with this line. I myself grew up in the Internet boom of the 90s and got into a bunch of trouble that I could not have done if the computer was in a public place and being actually monitored by my parents. They thought they were clever enough by putting bios passwords to prevent me from logging in, Internet "nannies", etc. All that did was encourage me to disable and subvert them. Good old fashioned parenting is the real key here, not using new tools.

A good analogy for this is the warnings that come on all baby products these days: "This product is only a deterrent. It is not a substitute for proper adult supervision."
Click to expand...

I have a daughter and I will admit, the internet is scary for us parents. I let my daughter on my computer, but she in the living room with us and I keep any eye on her. Building a trust with kids is very important, but not the easiest thing to do.
 
karl878 said:
Parental control is the easiest. One way is to "Limit Applications", under the allowed applications make sure Facetime, Photo Booth (and any similar app) are unchecked. Another approach is to limit the People she can contact. Under People, check Limit Mail and Limit Chat, then enter Allowed Contacts.
Click to expand...
x2. Only allow her to run the specific apps you want (i.e. don't allow the ones that use iSight), and if you do want her to run iChat but control whom she can video chat with, limit the contacts she's allowed to chat with.
 

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aristobrat said:
x2. Only allow her to run the specific apps you want (i.e. don't allow the ones that use iSight), and if you do want her to run iChat but control whom she can video chat with, limit the contacts she's allowed to chat with.
Click to expand...

YIM and others can use the camera. My daughter doesn't use those, but she also can't download YIM and anything because she doesn't have admin access.
 
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