Pope Francis spotted with sticker over his iPad selfie camera to block snooping hackers

THE POPE has covered up the front-facing camera on his iPad in an apparent bid to dodge internet surveillance.

The religious figurehead — who goes by @Pontifex on Twitter —  is certainly not shy of the web with 10.2 million followers across social media and his very own Instagram account.

But pictures have revealed how the leader of the Catholic Church fears spies could use his Apple device to watch his every move.

He was spotted using an iPad with the sticker over the camera during the Angelus prayer at the Vatican in Poland in July 2015 but the snaps have just emerged online thanks to an eagle-eyed security researcher.

It has been shared thousands of times since internet policy researcher Collin Anderson stuck it on Twitter on Tuesday.

And it appears Pope Francis is not alone in his Apple camera paranoia.

The Pope has taken an interest in the tech entrepreneur, and entertained him at  the Vatican in August last year.