Posted on 02/09/2015 5:47:28 AM PST by Alex Murphy
Why worry about Big Brother?
It's your big Samsung TV that's watching you. Oh, and listening to you.
That seems to be the conclusion from reading the privacy small print offered by the company. (Samsung's motto: TV has never been this smart.)
It concerns the voice-recognition feature, vital for everyone who finds pressing a few buttons on their remote far too tiresome.
The wording, first spotted by the Daily Beast, first informs you that the company may "capture voice commands and associated texts so that we can provide you with Voice Recognition features and evaluate and improve the features."
This is almost understandable. It's a little like every single customer service call, supposedly recorded to make your next customer service call far, far more enjoyable.
However, the following words border on the numbing: "Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition."
We are NOT having your mother here this weekend, next weekend or ANY weekend!The possibilities curdle in the mind. So much so that I have contacted Samsung to ask how broad this policy might be and what third parties might be informed of your personal conversations. (I would have just shouted at my SmartTV to get comment, but it isn't a Samsung.)I'm pregnant and it's not yours.
A Samsung spokeswoman told me: "Samsung takes consumer privacy very seriously. In all of our Smart TVs we employ industry-standard security safeguards and practices, including data encryption, to secure consumers' personal information and prevent unauthorized collection or use."
But what might be authorized and by whom?
Samsung's spokeswoman continued: " Should consumers enable the voice recognition capability, the voice data consists of TV commands, or search sentences, only. Users can easily recognize if the voice recognition feature is activated because a microphone icon appears on the screen."
Yes, we must now look for little microphone icons to check whether we're being listened to.
As for the third parties mentioned in the privacy policy, Samsung explained it to me like this: "Samsung does not retain voice data or sell it to third parties. If a consumer consents and uses the voice recognition feature, voice data is provided to a third party during a requested voice command search. At that time, the voice data is sent to a server, which searches for the requested content then returns the desired content to the TV."
One imagines this is simply one more small step for mankind toward ultimate electronic envelopment, which some see as a very good thing.
Your Nest and other devices will, of course, capture so many of your domestic predilections too. This is about making the Internet of Things merely one more thing in making your life easier, lazier and seemingly less private.
Clearly, this isn't the only option for those intent on a SmartTV. You can disable the full panoply and stick to a series of already-defined voice commands. However, this still brings with it stipulations such as "While Samsung will not collect your spoken word, Samsung may still collect associated texts and other usage data so that we can evaluate the performance of the feature and improve it."
Alright, you cry, I'll switch voice-recognition data off altogether. This will result in "You may disable Voice Recognition data collection at any time by visiting the 'settings' menu. However, this may prevent you from using all of the Voice Recognition features."
As Samsung's spokesperson explained to me: "Voice recognition, which allows the user to control the TV using voice commands, is a Samsung Smart TV feature, which can be activated or deactivated by the user. The TV owner can also disconnect the TV from the Wi-Fi network."
You might imagine that other SmartTV manufacturers would have similar controls and stipulations. If a product can listen and record something, it's likely it will.
So I went to Philips SmartTVs and could only find a general privacy notice, with no specific information relating to SmartTVs. LG's privacy policy again is general, with no apparent specific information relating to SmartTVs and their potential.
I have contacted both companies to ask whether there is a more detailed supplement that makes their TVs capabilities clear.
LG was, however, embroiled in a privacy controversy in 2013, when its SmartTVs were accused of knowing too much. The company promised to change its policies.
At the heart of all this is, of course, trust. The best and only defense against intrusion from the likes of Google to Samsung is this: "We don't really care about your private life. We just want your data, so that we can make money from it."
It's inevitable that the more data that we put out, the more will be recorded and the more will be known about us by machines which are in the charge of people.
We have all agreed to this. We click on "I agree" with no thought of consequences, only of our convenience.
It isn't just your TV that will listen and record. Soon, it'll be everything that has a digital connection.
This is our digital bed. We lie in it willingly.
....Clearly, this isn't the only option for those intent on a SmartTV. You can disable the full panoply and stick to a series of already-defined voice commands. However, this still brings with it stipulations such as "While Samsung will not collect your spoken word, Samsung may still collect associated texts and other usage data so that we can evaluate the performance of the feature and improve it." Alright, you cry, I'll switch voice-recognition data off altogether. This will result in "You may disable Voice Recognition data collection at any time by visiting the 'settings' menu. However, this may prevent you from using all of the Voice Recognition features...."
....LG was...embroiled in a privacy controversy in 2013, when its SmartTVs were accused of knowing too much. The company promised to change its policies....It's inevitable that the more data that we put out, the more will be recorded and the more will be known about us by machines which are in the charge of people. We have all agreed to this. We click on "I agree" with no thought of consequences, only of our convenience. It isn't just your TV that will listen and record. Soon, it'll be everything that has a digital connection.
There was actually an article posted on freerepublic on why the smarttv scared the writer.
It’s why I don’t load sofware on my smart phone. Many of them say they may turn on the camera and/or microphone without your knowledge.
No thanks.
I live alone.
They’ll hear my talking to my dogs and calling liberals idiots.
That’s why I won’t be getting one of those TVs. The older I get, the more I scream at my TV.
Your name is now Winston Smith and you are trying to avoid being seen and heard by the telescreen.
Precisely.
NSA Seal of Approval
A friend got in a wreck while driving his Volt. The insurance downloaded a video of the accident...from an onboard camera he didn’t know was there. It recorded video and audio. While it exonerated him from blame he was startled to find out he was secretly being recorded.
Today In Creepy Privacy Policies, Samsung’s Eavesdropping TV
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3255476/posts
I think that any device with a microphone and a camera should be considered ON. Never assume it is off just because an app is not running.
I put post-it notes over cameras at my desk and on my laptop. iPhone is a bit of a pain as there is a camera on both sides. Have not addressed microphones. Guess if I was to have a private conversation, it would not be in mic-range of anything.
My kids keep taking my tinfoil hat...
Good to know — that someone may be listening. They’ll hear exactly what I want them to hear. I’d never hold a “private” conversation around any electronic device more complicated than a flashlight.
Can anyone with a warrant or malice remotely turn it back on while suppressing the pesky microphone icon?
Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping!
To get onto The Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping List you must threaten to report me to the Mods if I don't add you to the list...
I don’t live alone but they get an earful when dear leader shows up on the screen saying stupid things, which is the only thing that comes out of that mouth.
Please be aware that we have received our first warrant in a court case concerning one of our clients accused of wrong doing.
Seriously, it is not as this has not been talked about on the web about these "smart" TVs. Something has changed to make them release this warning. This is jumping out in front of a problem before the public is smacked on the head with it.
My toaster is spying on me...............and so’s the ‘fridge...................
1984...........Orwell was a prophet...................
You should hear what your dogs are saying when you’re not there.
” O’er the land of the free ...” lol
I first saw one of these voice command TVs at sears about a year ago. First thing I thought when the sales person demo’ed it is I wouldn’t want that feature anyway. Personally I don’t know why anyone would. Is it too hard to press a few buttons? Good grief!
Remote control?!?!?
I’ll never be too lazy to tell my wife to get up and change the channel.
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