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35a32c5
(Get the code!)
I think this is an accurate summary of the discussion on IRC:
1. There should be a run-time prompt the first time an app tries to use the microphone, just as there is for other sensitive properties. In future there should be a similar prompt for the camera (bug 1230366).
2. In addition, there should be a reminder whenever a background app is using the mic, e.g. a Voip client when you've switched to your calendar to discuss an event, so that you don't forget the mic is live. Again, the same is true for the camera. (Trusted screencast utilities might be granted exceptions.)
3. Because both of these apply to just as much to the camera as the mic, and they will often happen together, they should share UI. In the prompt case, that means the prompts for both should be aggregated. In the reminder case, it means the sound indicator isn't an appropriate home for it.
4. Much the same issue is already faced by the phone app: when you switch to another app during a call, you need both a reminder that you're on a call, and a way of switching back to it. Other apps using the mic (and/or camera) should use the same UI mechanism as the phone app does, not least because they will often be Voip clients doing the same job as the phone app. Unfortunately the design for that reminder is not yet finalized. The current draft is a temporary separate indicator.