The spies among us: Don't discuss personal issues in front of your Samsung TV.

[Jag_Warrior]

Does anyone else agree that THIS is an area where governments should step in and regulate these smart devices and the internet-of-things? I read a similar story about two years ago, where a fellow found that his Samsung TV was transmitting personal data and he tried to return it to the store where he bought it. He was refused because the claim was that when he plugged it in, he had agreed (by default) to Samsung's terms of use. Absolutely amazing! George Orwell would not be surprised.



Not in front of the telly: Warning over 'listening' TV (http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-31296188)

Samsung said personal information could be scooped up by the Smart TV.

Samsung is warning customers (https://www.samsung.com/uk/info/privacy-SmartTV.html?CID=AFL-hq-mul-0813-11000170) to avoid discussing personal information in front of their smart television set.
The warning applies to TV viewers who control their Samsung Smart TV using its voice activation feature.
Such TV sets 'listen' to every conversation held in front of them and may share any details they hear with Samsung or third parties, it said.
Privacy campaigners said the technology smacked of the telescreens, in George Orwell's 1984, which spied on citizens.

Data sharing
The warning came to light via a story in online news magazine the Daily Beast (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/05/your-samsung-smarttv-is-spying-on-you-basically.html) which published an excerpt of a section of Samsung's privacy policy for its net-connected Smart TV sets.


The policy explains that the TV set will be listening to people in the same room to try to spot when commands are issued. It goes on to warn: "If your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party."


Corynne McSherry, an intellectual property lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) which campaigns on digital rights issues, told the Daily Beast that the third party was probably the company providing speech-to-text conversion for Samsung.

She added: "If I were the customer, I might like to know who that third party was, and I'd definitely like to know whether my words were being transmitted in a secure form."

[gadjo_dilo]

Guess what.... I have a Samsung Smart TV......:laugh:
However it's painful to see it's smarter than me. :s

[Starter]

Everyone would do well, assuming this is something that concerns them (IMO, you are a fool if it doesn't) to contact Samsung and any other company which does this and express you intention to never buy any of their products if they don't eliminate these kinds of "features".

[donKey jote]

... Or maybe simply start by turning off voice activation...

[donKey jote]

"OK Google" :andrea:

[Rollo]

Does anyone else agree that THIS is an area where governments should step in and regulate these smart devices and the internet-of-things? I read a similar story about two years ago, where a fellow found that his Samsung TV was transmitting personal data and he tried to return it to the store where he bought it. He was refused because the claim was that when he plugged it in, he had agreed (by default) to Samsung's terms of use. Absolutely amazing! George Orwell would not be surprised.

What I want to know is if someone like a health insurance company, is looking to buy the information that comes out of devices like this? If they could hours of data to prove that you were watching television, they might at some point use that data to prove that you were negligent in taking care of your health and thus invalidate the terms of your insurance.

Governments probably should step in and regulate these smart devices but that means admitting that a right to privacy might exist. No such right exists in the US Constitution and Article 12 of the UDHR mentions the words "No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy" which is extremely difficult to prove if you've voluntarily bought the device into your home.

Governments basically don't care because political parties have long since been bought off by private firms.

[Rudy Tamasz]

Thanks for warning, Jag. I'm not buying Samsung stuff any time soon.

Speaking of the government regulation, well, men in black will be the first ones in line to request your personal data from private companies. I believe they have every chance to get it without much resistance. Don't rely too much on the government, or just don't trust it.

[Rollo]

Speaking of the government regulation, well, men in black will be the first ones in line to request your personal data from private companies.

On what basis?

Other private companies have a greater commercial reason for requesting data than government does. I've worked in government and where official secrets are involved. Government isn't as sinister as much as it is incompetent and will always be so when its underfunded.

[Rudy Tamasz]

On what basis?

Other private companies have a greater commercial reason for requesting data than government does. I've worked in government and where official secrets are involved. Government isn't as sinister as much as it is incompetent and will always be so when its underfunded.

Based on the Dilbert cartoon. Isn't that authoritative enough?

[schmenke]

I fail to see what all the fuss is about.
Is a "smart" tv not similar to using any other web-accessible device or application that tracks your browsing history?
At least I'm not in the habit of speaking my PIN number in front of the tv :mark: .

[Mark]

You need to press a button before the voice system is activated. So it's a non issue.

[donKey jote]

At least it makes people realize that any voice command device with the feature activated is eavesdropping on everything within reach... Well whooodathunkit?! :dozey:

[Jag_Warrior]

You need to press a button before the voice system is activated. So it's a non issue.

The voice activation, yes. The transmission of data file information (from USB sticks or portable hard drives), no. You don't "opt in" and there is no way to "opt out" to prevent Samsung (and maybe LG... can't recall) smart televisions from transmitting that data back to HQ or where ever. The man I referred to in my OP actually found that information about his children was being sent out. That, to me, is not just an invasion of privacy but also potentially dangerous.

And it must have been something of a concern for Samsung, because they have now updated their terms of use to make the language less Orwellian and (deliberately) confusing. I don't particularly care for him, but Senator Al Franken has sent letters to both Samsung and LG, inquiring about not just their use of the personal information they capture (covered in the terms of use), but also what Nuance Communications does or can do with it (not covered in the terms of use). Nuance is actually the company providing the backbone of this system.

I would never have or allow a device such as this in my home. And despite my fascination with the "internet of things", any company not willing to protect my personal data is a company I would never buy another product from. When my Panasonic plasma dies one of these days, I don't know what I'll replace it with, but it won't be a Samsung TV. That much I can say for sure.

[Rollo]

I would never have or allow a device such as this in my home. And despite my fascination with the "internet of things", any company not willing to protect my personal data is a company I would never buy another product from.

It is possible to put a line filter on your electricity meter box and analyse the waveform patterns to work out exactly which devices you have plugged in and for how long.
I remember hearing about this on Future Tense by ABC's Radio National, when they were speaking to a chap from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation about legally bugging people's houses. Wiretapping people's phones is usually illegal for the public but it isn't illegal for electricity companies to "monitor" your electricity usage.

I'll have a hunt about for the link to the radio show.

[Bagwan]

With this much money and this much freedom at stake with one of these "smart" devices in our homes , are we all feeling safe with the idea that not enabling the software that listens to us is enough ?

[Starter]

With this much money and this much freedom at stake with one of these "smart" devices in our homes , are we all feeling safe with the idea that not enabling the software that listens to us is enough ?
Short answer = No. Long answer = Hell no.

[schmenke]

If you're really worried simply place a small thick piece of tape over the microphone :mark: .

[Tazio]

I'm with schemke on this one. Self flattery doesn't become any of you all boyz, trust me I know from experience ;)
None of your lives are that damn important to worry about this crap. (except maybe Mark, because I'm pretty sure the vice cops are after him ;) :angel: )Personally I would have a good time talking shit in front of that TV, but then again I am very easily amused. :p:

[gadjo_dilo]

None of your lives are that damn important to worry about this crap. (except maybe Mark, because I'm pretty sure the vice cops are after him ;) :angel: )
Really? :confused:
I "smelled" a few guys here who definitely have something to hide.:p

Personally I would have a good time talking shit in front of that TV, but then again I am very easily amused. :p:
In your particular case the TV should capture images. :devil:

[Tazio]

Really?
I "smelled" a few guys here who definitely have something to hide.:p

Their is Smellavision, imagine the possibilities?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp_t1OlSokU

:angel:




In your particular case the TV should capture images.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiyyNIlj-zI

:rolleyes: :dozey:

[gadjo_dilo]

:laugh:

[Bagwan]

If you're really worried simply place a small thick piece of tape over the microphone :mark: .

Which , prompts the software to contact the robot vacuum cleaner , which activates as soon as you're gone , to slide over and gently tease up the bottom of that small piece of thick tape , just enough to open up some sound for the mic , but still make you think you've got it licked , security-wise .

[schmenke]

I take offense to that.

My wife is not a robot.



:uhoh:

[Starter]

I take offense to that.

My wife is not a robot.:uhoh:
And you're definitely hoping she doesn't activate as soon as you are gone.
:D

[Tazio]

Like €¦££µ°$ m¦$$µ$ :confused: :devil:

[Jag_Warrior]

Why does Samsung want to listen to your words? To sell your demographic interests to advertisers, not because they care anything about you personally. And how do they make money from advertisers?

Read & learn:

http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/11/8017771/samsung-smart-tvs-inserting-unwanted-ads

“Samsung’s smart TVs have already come under fire this week for a poorly worded privacy policy that apparently let the devices listen in on owners’ conversations,” James Vincent reports for The Verge. Now, there are reports that the sets are inserting ads “every 20-30 minutes” into users’ own, locally stored content.”

“There’s been a string of complaints online by customers using third-party video apps such as Plex and Australian service Foxtel, with most referring to rogue Pepsi ads interrupting their viewing,” Vincent reports. “‘After about 15 minutes of watching live TV, the screen goes blank, and then a 16:9 sized Pepsi ad (taking up about half the screen) pops up,’ wrote a professed Samsung smart TV owner on Foxtel’s support forums.”


“Samsung explained that these sorts of ads were supposed to be opt-in only and was working with Yahoo to improve the system. ‘We are working with Yahoo to create an opt-in screen prompt specific to their service as soon as possible,’ Samsung told Business Insider, adding that to disable them users should ‘press Menu on your Samsung Remote and scroll to Smart Hub > Terms & Policy > Yahoo Privacy Policy. Scroll to ‘I disagree with the Yahoo Privacy Notice’ and you can toggle the option on to opt-out,'” ,Vincent reports. “The option itself is not only buried so deeply in the TV’s menus that most users wouldn’t find it without prompting, but the language itself seems deliberately confusing; an example of the sort of user interface ‘dark patterns’ that companies use to trick us.”