Ok, so I installed it to try it out.

Trying to get the WhatsApp widget running it seems like I must allow access to the camera and the microphone on my computer.

This is ridiculous.

On mobile, this is not needed, and is maybe even fine. When the app is turned off you know it isn't listening or taking pictures.

On a desktop computer there is no such guarantee. On the other hand this applies to all software I'm running. Maybe it's time to put a piece of tape over the camera.