Chromebooks will become a better place to take a video call or audio huddle soon, as Google is giving all users the ability to universally control access to their video cameras and microphones.
As part of a wider announcement of business data and security improvements, Tony Ureche, head of security, identity, and privacy for ChromeOS, writes that Chromebooks will get a space in Settings for toggling camera and microphone access. If an app tries to access either device upon launching or after a button tap, you’ll get a notice saying, “Your mic is muted by your system settings,” with a prompt to click the button to learn more (at least in Google Meet). The setting is coming “later this year.”
Having a default-off option for Chromebooks adds security to an already fairly secure platform, both by obscurity and design. It’s also helpful for users, as it’s a good idea to have to affirmatively enable a camera every time it wants to turn on rather than remembering whether or not you previously gave permission to Zoom, Meet, Slack, Skype, Teams, GoToMeeting, WebEx, Discord, or other apps.