Don't Talk in Front of your Samsung TV

[dualstow]

Samsung warns customers not to discuss personal information in front of smart TVs

Samsung has confirmed that its "smart TV" sets are listening to customers' every word, and the company is warning customers not to speak about personal information while near the TV sets.

http://theweek.com/speedreads/538379/sa ... -smart-tvs

[dualstow]

Oops, it's from February, but 2015, sorry about that.

[Tyler]

No worries. In the age where everything is connected, this kinda thing is rampant.

FTC: Vizio smart TVs spied on what viewers watched


I also found this kinda funny:

Amazon’s Alexa started ordering people dollhouses after hearing its name on TV

[dualstow]

No worries. In the age where everything is connected, this kinda thing is rampant.

FTC: Vizio smart TVs spied on what viewers watched

Oh, dude. I have a Vizio smart TV!

I bet they didn't stop recording but instead slipped consent into the long legalese that comes with every product. We hit the I Agree button and move on.

That Alexa story is funny!

[Pointedstick]

Think about it this way: if you put a smart TV in your bedroom, the company that manufactured it knows what you and your spouse sound like while having sex.

Don't buy specialized electronic devices (i.e. not general-purpose computers) that have cameras, microphones, or network connections. You're practically inviting the world's intelligence agencies into your house. These things are 125% creepy and I strongly encourage people not to buy them.

[dualstow]

I didn't even know Smart TVs had microphones. I've skimmed the manual for mine and I'm sure it doesn't.
I know people put tape over their laptop cameras. I wonder what the best way to foil a mic is.

Near future: No, Alexa, I said "shoot any ISIS soldiers." That was just a girl scout selling cookies.

[Maddy]

There are technological mine fields everywhere these days. I resent having to spend large amounts of time trying to learn just enough to protect myself from the constant intrusions.

Recently, while doing some legal work that required some drafting, I stumbled upon a website that had a sample form not too different from what I needed. Lo and behold, the form allowed you to edit the document and print it out--which ended up being a great time-saver for me. I simply inserted the parties' names, changed a few things around, and pressed "Print."

There was no "save" button--nor would I have used it had there been one, so imagine my horror when I went back to the website a few days later and found my modified document in all its glory--replete with the clients' name! I couldn't believe it, so I logged out, went to the public library, and pulled up the website from there--only to find the same edited document right there for the entire world to see! I have no idea how what I typed into the form got saved, and there was certainly no warning that what I was typing in would be visible to other users. I ended up re-editing everything out, which worked, but it was a very bad day in my life.

This is the kind of shit that drives me crazy about technology.

[dualstow]

Wow! I want to know the name of that website, Maddy.