Google Chrome is the most popular web browser, and that shouldn’t be surprising. After all, it’s fast, has a lean design, and supports a truckload of extensions to make you web browsing more productive. It’s a browser made for the modern day web, which is extremely advanced, and is getting better with every single day. The websites that we see today are nothing like their predecessors. They have a whole bunch of plugins, use responsive designs that can automatically adjust the content according to the display, and then some more. In fact, depending on their purpose, some of the websites can even automatically access the peripherals connected to our computer, notably the microphone and camera. And that can’t be good for privacy, right?
Fret not my friend, as Google Chrome allows you to prevent websites from accessing microphone and camera connected to your computer. Sounds interesting? Let’s find out how you can disable microphone and camera access for websites in Google Chrome.
How To Disable Microphone And Camera Access For Websites In Google Chrome?
Disabling microphone and camera access for all the websites in Google Chrome is extremely simple and straightforward, and takes nothing more than a couple of clicks. Detailed below is an illustrative walkthrough, explaining how to do this:
Step 1: Open up Google Chrome, and use the main menu (accessible via the hamburger icon) to access the browser’s settings. Once there, scroll all the way down, and click the Show advanced settings option.
Step 2: Under the Privacy sub-section, click on Content settings button, and a box should pop-up. Scroll to the Media sub-section, and select the Do not allow sites to access your camera and microphone option. You can also enable/disable access for microphone and camera individually. Here’s a screenshot:
Also See: Prevent Websites From Accessing Your Location In Google Chrome
Conclusion
Due to their inherent purpose (e.g. audio/video chat), some websites require access to your computer’s camera and microphone. However, there might be some websites that can use these peripherals for (potentially) harmful purposes. And of course, this is counterproductive from the perspective as well. Good thing that Google Chrome easily lets you disable microphone and camera access for websites. Try it out, and let me know what you think in the comments section below.
