Terrified of My New TV

[rcjordan]

worth a quick read

http://www.brennancenter.org/analysis/im-terrified-my-new-tv-why-im-scared-turn-thing

[littleman]

But why would one buy a TV that has a camera and mic built into it?  I really just want my TV to be a dumb receiver (basically a monitor with speakers) I can plug my other devices into.  I'm sure I'll be considered a Luddite in a few years.

[rcjordan]

You & I both know that the average user isn't aware -or even cares to be made aware- of these privacy intrusions.

>just want my TV to be a dumb receiver

I predict you're going to have to work hard to find one.   And it may also be the same price or even higher than just picking up one at WallyWorld.

[Brad]

>>dumb receiver

That's me too.  I recently wanted to buy a small TV for the den and had to sort my way through all the Smart TVs to find one dumb enough.

[ergophobe]

I'm reminded of a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon where Calvin says something like...

Hey Suzy, did you know our teachers are space aliens...

and they've embedded subliminal messages in our textbooks to turn us against our parents?

But I'm too smart for 'em. I don't read my textbooks.

That's sort of my relationship with my television - it doesn't receive a signal over the air (or wire), so the mic/camera can't phone home.

[ergophobe]

Antoher story on the same topic: http://bgr.com/2014/10/31/smart-tv-privacy-and-security/

[Mackin USA]

TY, RC

>>dumb receiver is what we would want also...

[rcjordan]

Lest anyone think that user cams are generally secure, take a look at

http://insecam.com/

And about a year ago, a school district in MA(?) was caught spying on students in their homes via the cams in the laptops the schools had distributed to the students.

[ergophobe]

And about a year ago, a school district in MA(?) was caught spying on students in their homes via the cams in the laptops the schools had distributed to the students.

http://www.wired.com/2010/10/webcam-spy-settlement/

See... and they wondered why I never took my schoolbooks home. I didn't even trust them back then ;-)

[rcjordan]

Whoa! FOUR years ago.  

This may be a tech 'urban legend' but I believe I saw that there's code now to fire the cam without any noticeable lights, alerts, etc.

But the TV's cam/mic isn't really what concerns me. Ad tracking, profiling, dynamic pricing --that's the kind of stuff that bothers me.

[rcjordan]

Wolf at the door..

http://www.amazon.com/oc/echo

[Gurtie]

>> Ad tracking, profiling, dynamic pricing --that's the kind of stuff that bothers me.

well dynamic pricing is alive and well. And higly annoying.

I someone on both sides of the profiling and ad tracking equation, I tend to feel that anonymised data used to make ads more likely t be of relevance for you should be considered to be a good thing, unless you subscribe to the idea that ad blockers are a good thing (or your alternative obviously - surely you haven't seen an ad for years?)

Now, profiling by anonymous government bidies I find a terrible idea, yet logically its done to make me safer - shouldn't I value that more than 10% off?

[rcjordan]

> your alternative obviously - surely you haven't seen an ad for years?

I see some on the ipad. At least, I think I do  ...a well-honed banner-blindness takes care of them.

Today, out in the bricks, I was offered 25% off of a $480 purchase to list my email address 'for future promotions & discounts'. I gave them Drastic's.

[rcjordan]

Mind the gap

Vizio Inscape

http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/24/vizio-ipo-inscape-acr/

<added>
related thread

http://th3core.com/talk/hardware-technology/welcome-to-privacy-hell-also-known-as/

[rcjordan]

Roku TVs start showing interactive pop-ups during related commercials

https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/7/20902423/roku-tv-interactive-pop-up-ads-automatic-content-recognition