Camera is off by default, and on when the green lamp is lit. Camera will only be active with applications that use it, like iChat and Photo Booth. You control who can connect to you, and whether get a camera feed or not.
The green light next to the camera (fire up Photobooth to see it) is
hardwired into the camera circuitry. If there is power going to the camera, there is power going to the green light.
Therefore, nobody can spy on you without the green camera light coming on. There is no need for tape.
Thanks to both of you. I didn't like sitting in front of a camera not knowing if someone could be spying. You have answered my question and put me at ease.
No problem! It's a legitimate concern, especially in light of the recent news story about cameras in computers.
Rest assured though, that the camera is definitely not on unless the green light is lit. There is no way to turn the camera on without having the light on. Apple wired it this way so there would be no concerns about privacy issues. 🙂