Spotted: Mark Zuckerberg covers up MacBook webcam with tape?

Thanks to Edward Snowden, we know that the US government has sophisticated ways of spying on people through their gadgets. We also know that Facebook is no stranger to veering on the wrong side of the privacy line.

So when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a photo to celebrate Instagram’s 500 million user milestone, people were rather surprised to see what was done to a nearby MacBook…

In case you can’t make it out, the MacBook’s web camera is taped up, as Twitter user Chris Olson first pointed out.

3 things about this photo of Zuck:

Camera covered with tape
Mic jack covered with tape
Email client is Thunderbird pic.twitter.com/vdQlF7RjQt

— Chris Olson (@topherolson) June 21, 2016

It also appears that the audio jack is covered, although the MacBook’s microphones are in the same vicinity too.

It’s unclear if this was indeed Zuckerberg’s laptop, but it’s drawn loads of attention from social media users however.

Some Twitter users claimed that the Facebook founder was paranoid, while others used it as proof that you can’t take your privacy for granted.

It wouldn’t be the first time that a prominent person covered up their webcam though, as even FBI director James Comey admitted to the practice.

“I saw something in the news, so I copied it. I put a piece of tape — I have obviously a laptop, personal laptop — I put a piece of tape over the camera. Because I saw somebody smarter than I am had a piece of tape over their camera,” Comey was quoted as saying by NPR.