Man who owns a smart TV says he’s ‘afraid’ of using it after reading its privacy policy

[fredlaso]

Just like with other electronic devices that used to be “dumb,” TVs have become increasingly smart lately, but that doesn’t mean that’s necessarily a good thing, especially when it comes to user privacy. At least that’s what Brennan Center’s Michael Price seems to think after he replaced his older TV that could offer access just to TV programs with a smart TV model that also delivers “streaming multimedia content, games, apps, social media and Internet browsing.”
“The only problem is that I’m now afraid to use it. You would be too — if you read through the 46-page privacy policy,” Price wrote. “The amount of data this thing collects is staggering. It logs where, when, how, and for how long you use the TV. It sets tracking cookies and beacons designed to detect ‘when you have viewed particular content or a particular email message.’ It records ‘the apps you use, the websites you visit, and how you interact with content.’ It ignores ‘do-not-track’ requests as a considered matter of policy.

http://news.yahoo.com/man-owns-smart-tv-says-afraid-using-reading-0...

[jackieo]

actual source of the story

I’m Terrified of My New TV:

Why I’m Scared to Turn This Thing On — And You’d Be, Too

Michael Price

October 30, 2014

I just bought a new TV. The old one had a good run, but after the volume got stuck on 63, I decided it was time to replace it. I am now the owner of a new “smart” TV, which promises to deliver streaming multimedia content, games, apps, social media, and Internet browsing. Oh, and TV too.

The only problem is that I’m now afraid to use it. You would be too — if you read through the 46-page privacy policy.

The amount of data this thing collects is staggering. It logs where, when, how, and for how long you use the TV. It sets tracking cookies and beacons designed to detect “when you have viewed particular content or a particular email message.” It records “the apps you use, the websites you visit, and how you interact with content.” It ignores “do-not-track” requests as a considered matter of policy.

It also has a built-in camera — with facial recognition. The purpose is to provide “gesture control” for the TV and enable you to log in to a personalized account using your face. On the upside, the images are saved on the TV instead of uploaded to a corporate server. On the downside, the Internet connection makes the whole TV vulnerable to hackers who have demonstrated the ability to take complete control of the machine.

More troubling is the microphone. The TV boasts a “voice recognition” feature that allows viewers to control the screen with voice commands. But the service comes with a rather ominous warning: “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.” Got that? Don’t say personal or sensitive stuff in front of the TV.

You may not be watching, but the telescreen is listening.

I do not doubt that this data is important to providing customized content and convenience, but it is also incredibly personal, constitutionally protected information that should not be for sale to advertisers and should require a warrant for law enforcement to access.

Unfortunately, current law affords little privacy protection to so-called “third party records,” including email, telephone records, and data stored in “the cloud.” Much of the data captured and transmitted by my new TV would likely fall into this category. Although one federal court of appeals has found this rule unconstitutional with respect to email, the principle remains a bedrock of modern electronic surveillance.

According to retired General David Petraeus, former head of the CIA, Internet-enabled “smart” devices can be exploited to reveal a wealth of personal data. “Items of interest will be located, identified, monitored, and remotely controlled through technologies such as radio-frequency identification, sensor networks, tiny embedded servers, and energy harvester,” he reportedly told a venture capital firm in 2012. “We’ll spy on you through your dishwasher” read one headline. Indeed, as the “Internet of Things” matures, household appliances and physical objects will become more networked. Your ceiling lights, thermostat, and washing machine — even your socks — may be wired to interact online. The FBI will not have to bug your living room; you will do it yourself.

Of course, there is always the “dumb” option. Users may have the ability to disable data collection, but it comes at a cost. The device will not function properly or allow the use of its high-tech features. This leaves consumers with an unacceptable choice between keeping up with technology and retaining their personal privacy.

We should not have to channel surf worried that the TV is recording our behavior for the benefit of advertisers and police. Companies need to become more mindful of consumer privacy when deciding whether to collect personal data. And law enforcement should most certainly be required to get a warrant before accessing it.

In the meantime, I’ll be in the market for a new tinfoil hat and cone of silence.

Michael Price is counsel in the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law.

[Son-of-Sam]

Time to start closing the tv Cabinet doors when you go to bed again.....! their Watching...... :o

[jackieo]

tune out, turn off, drop in.

[jackieo]

The above news item (TV watching YOU ) goes hand in glove with THIS VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svtm9BMcxCk

Samsung ‘Smart TV’ Records “Personal” Conversations & Sends Them to Third Parties

Source

Company’s new privacy policy causes consternation

Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
November 3, 2014

Samsung’s new global privacy policy for its line of Smart TVs states that a user’s personal conversations will be recorded by the device’s microphone and transmitted to third parties.

A 46-page privacy policy which is now included in all newly purchased Samsung Smart TVs states that voice recognition technology “may capture voice commands and associated texts” in order to “improve the features” of the system.

The policy, a summary of which is also posted online, ominously advises users to, “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.”

Writing about the privacy policy for Salon.com, Michael Price, counsel in the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, said he was now “terrified” of his new TV, noting that voice recognition is just one feature that could be used to spy on users.

The television also logs website visits, has a built-in camera for facial recognition and uses tracking cookies to detect “when you have viewed particular content or a particular email message.”

“I do not doubt that this data is important to providing customized content and convenience, but it is also incredibly personal, constitutionally protected information that should not be for sale to advertisers and should require a warrant for law enforcement to access,” writes Price, adding that current privacy laws offer little protection against “third party” data.

Price also draws attention to comments made in 2012 by former CIA director David Petraeus, who hailed the “Internet of things” as a transformational boon for “clandestine tradecraft”. In other words, it will soon be easier than ever before to keep tabs on the population since everything they use will be connected to the web, with total disregard for privacy considerations. The spooks won’t have to plant a bug in your home or your vehicle, you will be doing it for them.

As we have documented, the Internet of things is the process of manufacturing every new product with a system that broadcasts wirelessly via the world wide web, allowing industry and the government to spy ubiquitously on every aspect of your existence.

In recording private conversations for potential third party use, Samsung is merely mimicking what games console makers have done for years.

Since its launch in 2010, Microsoft’s X-Box Kinect games device has a video camera and a microphone that records speech. The company informs its users that they “should not expect any level of privacy concerning your use of the live communication features,” while Microsoft also “may access or disclose information about you, including the content of your communications.”

Last year, Microsoft was forced to deny claims that the Xbox One’s Kinect camera could see gamers’ genitals after video footage emerged which suggested the device’s IR camera was so sophisticated that it could capture the outline of a user’s penis.

Gamers also complained that Kinect was monitoring their Skype conversations for swearing and then punishing them with account bans.

With Christmas fast approaching, millions more people will splash the cash on games consoles and smart TVs completely oblivious to the fact that they are paying to have their private conversations recorded and potentially transmitted to third parties.

Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/paul.j.watson.71
FOLLOW Paul Joseph Watson @ https://twitter.com/PrisonPlanet

[MidnightDistortions]

I guess bleeping out swearing is too much for Microsoft to handle, they'd rather spy on their users.

[VileTouch]

actual source of the story

because *cough* "yahoo news" doesn't count as an actual source.

[flash48]

Big Brother is watching you. Perhaps the book, "1984" should have been titled "2014".

[jackieo]

actual source of the story

because *cough* "yahoo news" doesn't count as an actual source.

Yahoo IS NOT a legit source. Its like saying google news page is a source.

had to click thru 4 links on 4 different sites to get the actual posted story....

just something to think about when you post-happy guys wake up and start posting.

post the ACTUAL SOURCE of the story, not just "where you found it", to be concise.

[Future Soldier]

LOL really man even my VPN would loose to it EVERYBODY SET A POWER BREAKER FPR SUCH TV NEAR YOU SOFA (lazzzyyy) cause it loose to power unless it has backup power OH WAIT LATEST TV HAVE THOSE TO PREVENT FLUCTUATION DAMN I AM SCREWED

[VileTouch]

actual source of the story

because *cough* "yahoo news" doesn't count as an actual source.

Yahoo IS NOT a legit source. Its like saying google news page is a source.

had to click thru 4 links on 4 different sites to get the actual posted story....

just something to think about when you post-happy guys wake up and start posting.

post the ACTUAL SOURCE of the story, not just "where you found it", to be concise.

that's what i meant...

[lurch234]

Time to start closing the tv Cabinet doors when you go to bed again.....! their Watching...... :o

That wont help anything!! Read this article written almost a year ago and... despair!!!!

LG Smart TVs logging USB filenames and viewing info to LG servers

I still laugh at the fact he names a file "midget porn" because "to make sure it had a unique filename that I could spot easily in the data and one that was unlikely to come from a broadcast source"

[CODYQX4]

Time to start closing the tv Cabinet doors when you go to bed again.....! their Watching...... :o

That wont help anything!! Read this article written almost a year ago and... despair!!!!

LG Smart TVs logging USB filenames and viewing info to LG servers

I still laugh at the fact he names a file "midget porn" because "to make sure it had a unique filename that I could spot easily in the data and one that was unlikely to come from a broadcast source"

That doesn't sound unique at all... Who doesn't have a couple dozen files with that name :D

[212eta]

Big Brother is watching you.

Uncle Sam is watching you, too. :yes:

[Émile]