How to block input to webcam?

A foolproof way to block webcam input

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Disable the webcam kernel module:

modprobe -r uvcvideo

uvcvideo is the most common module name. If not found, check lsmod | grep uvcv and you'll get the module name.

This will disable it for this session.

To make it permanent, add blacklist + module name to /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf. (Like blacklist uvcvideo)

Another foolproof solution that wouldn't work for everyone:

Open the laptop up, and unplug the webcam. Use an external webcam instead, pluggin it in only as required. I actually did this in the opposite order as the internal webcam was poor quality and I didn't want it on the same angle as the screen.