>>>And the two pieces I mention are not crapware, they are spyware.
>>
>>Hi Dragan! :)
>>
>>My recent laptop purchase includes a facial recognition software to use as a biometric security device. There are fingerprint scanners on many laptops. The software on them activates them when it's possible you might want to log in with your finger. There is a plugin which does it for the browsers and the scanner goes active when the machine waits for me to log in. Is the camera doing something more? If not, I can't see it as spyware per se. If the data was being uploaded somehow, maybe then it's spyware?
>
>Are you absolutely sure the data won't ever leave your laptop? Or, if it's stolen, that nobody can connect the data on it with you?

I am not absolutely sure of the security of any device, or piece of paper. But that is quite different from a piece of software specifically designed to steal the data.

I remember a story where a person's laptop was stolen. She was able to activate the webcam remotely and provided pictures of the thief to police. The laptop was returned. The thief had attended a party at the owner's place and cased the joint.

The camera is not running constantly.