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Comment by matheusmoreira | Hacker News Reader

> Hackerrank also records videos and takes random screenshots of you when you are taking a tests.

Isn't hacker rank a website? How could it possibly do that?

The JavaScript function Media devices.getUserMedia() will do this, and also includes screen sharing possibilities. It will ask the user for permission first but in a test situation, there's high pressure to accept those permissions or fail the test.

I see. Okay. So we need to patch that funtion to make them think it's working. I wonder if there's an extension for that.

Just set up a fake webcam

Will that work with screen shots and screen sharing?

Should be similar, but you might need to set up some hacks to spoof the browser in thinking it's the screen.

https://testrtc.com/manipulating-getusermedia-available-devi...

No, but other client-side measures could.

They are giving you javascript which executes on your machine in a browser you control. You can override those APIs do do whatever you want. In my teens, this would probably have served up goatse. Now it's likely to get a picture of a stick figure labeled with my name. They might get upset about defeating the webcam. They probably won't hire you. Whether you can afford to stand up to surveillance as the norm depends on your personal views and financial situation.

Unless you could substitute a realistic facsimilie of yourself answering the question, you would probably simply be treated as if you had declined to take the test, or be suspected of attempting to cheat. No-one who uses Hackerrank is going to spend any time trying to figure out whether they should consider you as a viable candidate, they will just move on to the next.

> Unless you could substitute a realistic facsimilie of yourself answering the question

Sounds great. Maybe some harmless pre-recorded loop. Whatever it takes to defeat their surveillance. Also I bet someday someone will come up with some AI thing to generate that video feed...

What if you don't have a webcam? Most desktop computers don't come with a webcam. If you were warned in advance, you could buy or borrow one, but not if it came as a surprise.

They don't allow you to take the test without the camera. I had to retake the test someother day for Amzn by borrowing laptop. If I remember right microphone should be turned on too.

How about a physical webcam blocker so all you get is a black screen?

Such things have been possible via the web for about a decade.

I know about camera access, there's a permission prompt for that. Didn't know about screen shots. That's honestly terrifying.

That functionality alone, I don't find terrifying. It's what allows web-based video-conferencing with screen sharing. However, I'd consider this an abuse of it, you should not be pressured into giving consent to do that as part of a job application.

The same goes with the terrible online testing platforms that have grown in use during COVID. They're terrible, ineffective, and an invasion in privacy.

> However, I'd consider this an abuse of it, you should not be pressured into giving consent to do that as part of a job application.

Yes, I completely agree. I hate it when Javascript gains new features and capabilities. Everyone is so happy because they'll be able to create more cool stuff, nobody seems to consider how these capabilities will be abused.

How is it terrifying? It's pretty nice to be able to share your screen in an online meeting. It has the same kind of permission prompt, of course.

Because it will be abused. Just like video game anti-cheating software used to periodically take and exfiltrate screenshots without the user's knowledge. Reading the privacy policies of those things was terrifying.

Websites can ask for permission to use your camera.

I just deny it by default.

Many websites won't function until you approve, and why did you ask your original question if you understood the denial mechanic?

> Many websites won't function until you approve

I suppose we need to find ways to feed them junk data.

> why did you ask your original question

It was the screen shot thing that surprised me. Had no idea that was possible.

OBS has a feature for that.

Because if a website asks me to use my webcam I assume it's going to use my webcam. Why is it surprising that it's recording video?

It's fine if I actually want them to use the camera. In this case, they're using their leverage to force me to allow access to the camera in order to spy on me for the benefit of third parties.

GetUserMedia API in the browser

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