World's Oldest Webcam Is Still Operational At San Francisco State University

The world’s oldest operational webcam is still watching over San Francisco State University campus after 28 years. 

What Happened: FogCam was set up in 1994. It was developed by San Francisco State University students Jeff Schwartz and Dan Wong as a class project.

The students called it ‘FogCam’ because of the foggy view it offered due to its placement inside Burk Hall and low image resolution — no more than 320 by 200 pixels — according to SF Gate. 

See Also: Your iPhone Can Soon Double Up As A Webcam

In August 2019, a notice on the FogCam website announced that after 25 years, it was shutting down forever. Soon, an outcry from the public and the #SaveTheFogCam social media campaign, coupled with international offers of donations to keep the FogCam alive, turned the tables. 

As FogCam gained global attention, Schwarts signed an agreement with San Francisco State University to indefinitely take over the project. 

The webcam is now under the purview of San Francisco State University's academic technologies department, where Wong still works.

It is tucked safely on the second floor of the university’s campus, mounted on a flexible tripod. 

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Photo: Courtesy of the gallery by Dan Wong.