There was a similar box in the Rutgers University EE department. I'm pretty sure I remember seeing it at an open house in the 1950's and certainly when I was a student there, 1962-1966. A life-like rubber hand would come out of the box to turn off the switch.

A small can of spray paint can be remarkably effective in disabling the camera. Less obvious is a smudge of Vasoline. It is transparent and so wont be visible from the ground yet it will distort the image to make faces unrecognizable. Just be sure to hide your face until the deed is done.