Smart Meters
Smart meters are almost never brought up during OPSEC discussions, but they are detrimental to your privacy. Traditional analog meters would simply measure the amount of electricity used by the house or building. But smart meters can detect, in great detail, every wired electric event taking place in the house or building. The utility company can tell what appliances you are using and when you use them, they can even tell what you are doing on your computer. Each key you press on your keyboard produces a unique electric current that can be read by utility companies or the government, so they can know what you are typing even when you are offline. The meters continuously transmit wireless data, which can be intercepted by third parties. It is best to either use a battery-powered computer or build your own electricity generator.
Webcams, Microphones, and Speaker
As you probably already know, webcams and microphones come installed in nearly all laptops and have been for a long time, and it is crucial to disable them or better yet, remove them from the device. Some laptop monitors are so easy to get into that you can pull them open using your thumbnails. Other monitors are screwed shut and have to be opened with a screwdriver. The webcam and microphone are usually located on the same circuit board and you can usually use your fingers to disconnect from the opened device.
Speakers and headphones can be used as microphones. When people are not aware of this, the magnet and coil in a speaker can pick up sound around the area in which it is located and turns it into electric signals in the wires which can be used by hackers to listen to you. Security researchers at Ben Gurion University in Israel created a form of malware that can turn headphones and speakers into microphones that can be used to spy on people.
It may be best to remove the speakers and sound card from the computer that you are planning on using for your private internet activities. Having sound on your computer is almost never needed if you are mainly doing things on the darknet.
Keyboards and Mice
Wireless keyboards and mice broadcast data hundreds of feet away. They usually have encryption that is weak and easily cracked. It is possible for a third party to intercept the data being broadcasted from these devices, which could allow them to see all of the keys you are pressing on your keyboard and everything on your clipboard. It is much safer to use a wired keyboard and mouse.
