Microblog Memes

Lasers are not a very efficient way to damage cameras.

They can, sure ... but there are a lot of issues.

• 1W is your minimum power for this kind of thing, but at that level, permanent damage is relatively unlikely, especially at distance. To reliably damage camera sensors, especially from any significant distance, you're going to need a much more powerful laser. Dozens of watts at least ... which typically means you'll need a large, inconvenient, and tremendously expensive machine to do it reliably. (Pro tip: if none of this dissuades you, at least get a really powerful laser. Forget 'laser pointers' sold on ebay etc. You want skincare lasers -- hair and tattoo removal lasers are pulsed lasers with far more peak power and far more dangerous to camera sensors, if you can get them to focus at distance, and they're still fairly affordable. Rust removal/metal cutting lasers are also effective and powerful, but they tend to be larger and more expensive.)

• Even when laser damaged, cameras typically don't stop working entirely -- the laser tends to just create a few dead pixels here and there. Longer exposure or more power can cause more dead pixels ... but do you really want to have to stand there shining a laser at it for several minutes just to slightly degrade the image quality? (Worse, there's no way for you to review it and see how well it's working, so this will have to be all based on guesswork. Did you fully disable the camera? Just degrade it a little? Accomplish nothing at all? Are you done here, or do you need to keep using your laser? No way to know!) Needing to keep the laser on target for several minutes is also problematic because most high-power lasers have limited runtime before they overheat, and you may have issues with your laser if you try to run it more than a minute or two continuously. Not to mention, the longer you stand there, the more chance there is of you getting caught in the act.

• In order to shine a laser into the camera sensor, you must first stand in front of the camera sensor in clear view of it. Even if your laser succeeds in disabling the camera, the pre-destruction footage will be saved and could potentially be used to identify/prosecute you. If you're using a laser in the visible spectrum (which you probably should, because high power infrared/ultraviolet lasers have terrifying safety concerns), you'll also be extremely visible to any bystanders, witnesses, and nosy cops while you're doing this -- it will draw a lot of attention.

• High power lasers are dangerous to more than just cameras. They're dangerous to your eyes and the eyes of innocent bystanders. And when you're deliberately shining the laser at a partially reflective rounded target -- a camera lens -- laser beams could be reflected at almost any angle and potentially harm anyone nearby. Wearing protective laser goggles can help protect you from this (and you absolutely should be wearing them anytime you deal with high-power lasers), but with very high power lasers, they may not offer enough protection for a direct reflection, and of course they still do nothing to protect innocent bystanders who might instinctively look to see what that bright light is.

• Even the cheap ebay lasers are still much more expensive than other, simpler means of destroying a camera. Rocks, bricks, wire cutters, spray paint, mud, and hammers are all extremely effective and cheaper/easier to acquire.

All in all, I would not recommend trying to disable cameras with lasers.

Simpler methods are much better. Smash the camera or the solar panel that powers it with a rock, brick, hammer, or other blunt object. Cover the lens with spray paint, mud, grease, or anything else that will stick to it and be difficult to clean off. Use wire cutters to snip the wires leading to/from the camera. Use screwdrivers/wrenches to disassemble it and remove it. Use a reciprocating saw or angle grinder to cut down the pole it stands on.