Spy TV ?

[McGyver]

A few months ago on of my TVs got a curious message on it that showed up when I turned on the TV... It basically told me it would not update it's smart software unless I turned off the privacy setting.
Thinking it was a virus or something, I looked up this message and apparently it was legit...
Being that the function affected would be Internet access and stuff like Netflix and I don't use that TV for that stuff, I said "screw you", and "now I'll never EVER buy on of your TVs again if you intend to hold me hostage to your data collection shenanigans"...
The funny thing was I had accidentally found the setting while setting up the TV... There was no mention of it in the manual (barely a pamphlet).
I got annoyed and pretty much forgot about it, because life is full of lots of other stuff to get annoyed about.
And that being as such I paid it no more attention until last week, when I found out a particular TV manufacturer was fined by the FCC for $2.2 million for illegally collecting and sharing consumer data without their permission.
Not only had they been doing that with new sets, but they found a way to patch older devices to collect data too.
As a default the privacy setting was turned off and there was no mention of its existence or that data was being collected and shared.
Now here the real kicker not only did it collect data on where you were going, it watched WHAT you were looking at... Using special software that “captures information about a selection of pixels on the screen,” the software then would send it back to the manufacturer where the data would be “uniquely matched to a database of publicly available television, movie, and commercial content.”
In plain terms, even if you were watching a DVD, it could figure out what it was...
Cool, yeah?
I love the fact that often when I say I'm not a fan of "smart" devices because you never know what the manufacturer is gonna do when they think you are not paying attention, the first thing the tech fanboys say is "yeah, I'm sure it's so they can spy on you... Ha ha..."
But not for nothing, using special pixel analysis software to read what is on my screen and analyzing it to see if it's "My little pony" or adult content without my express consent is by definition "spying" and VERY creepy, in a very Orwellian sense.
As such its not a big leap to think that left unaddressed eventually that software might evolve into one which would be analyzing your personal photos when you are showing them to friends... You know, to see where you go or how you have fun, so they can "better serve you" with more "personalized, customized options tailored to better suit you."...
Yeah.
Sure.
Turns out now that they got busted, that warning no longer shows up...
But anyway besides them, two other manufacturers have a similar privacy setting that can be turned on or off... Whether or not they were doing the same thing, so far I don't know.
This might seem a little weird to just bring this up out of the blue, but this is one of those little news issues that depending on what you listen to or avoid listening to may have fallen by the wayside.
I'm also not clear about mentioning the manufacturer as many sites don't like that... So just to be sure, I'll leave that out...
If you are curious about this issue here is a link to how to turn off tracking on the aforementioned (hinted at) devices...

Don’t Want Your TV To Report Back Everything You Watch? Here’s How To Turn That Off

And the article about the spying...

Vizio To Pay $2.2 Million For Watching TV Watchers Without Telling Them

It's for the Consumerist website... they are a consumer news website from the people who publish Consumer magazine, so they really aren't some rinky dink click bait site.

I hope this is an okay post... I don't want to be doing stuff I'm not supposed to...
Okay, that's not true...
I don't want to be doing stuff HERE that I'm not supposed to...
That's more accurate.

Edited to add... So after saying that thing about not naming the company involved... It turn out the link turned into the headline title... Megh... I don't know how to fix that...
Sorry, if that is a problem.

 

[Pendraia]

Thanks for the info...it's very interesting.

 

[Lorraine]

Our papers down here have been informing us of this too and warning folk about the danger of your telly telling on you. It gives me the creeps to think the tv is looking and listening to you while you are watching it.

 

[Willowisp]

This is one of the reasons I flat out refuse to own any 'smart' devices. My phone is a 10 year old flip-phone, and my pc and laptop are all secured pretty tight for privacy. Granted, you can never protect yourself completely from spying, but you do what you can to keep it down, right? Friend of mine often pulls the 'but google knows everything about you anyway' to which I reply 'so because your table is on fire, you just let the whole house burn down?' (and no, google doesn't actually know that much about me, I have a gmail account, but that is only used for impersonal things.)

 

[Lorraine]

One privacy tip I read and now follow is to use a different search engine to your email. Like, I have a gmail email so I use Bing as my search engine.

 

[Miss B]

I use another search engine for "everything". I haven't used Google to search in a very long time.

 

[Lorraine]

Me neither, Miss B

 

[Gadget Girl]

Thanks for sharing, I don't actually own a TV, smart or otherwise, so I'm not at risk. Although I do watch 'TV' through various streaming services. So I'm sure Hulu and Netflix know what I watch. They don't seem to do useful stuff what that information however, as their recommendations for things I should watch is awful.

What's really funny about this is that I used to sell iPhones. I remember for sure that the first iPhone didn't have GPS (I can't remember now if it came in with the 3G or 3GS) and people were complaining about that. I always used to think quietly to myself, "You know that all GPS are satellites are owned and operated by the US military, and they just 'rent' out use of them to other companies."

And then I started worrying more about private companies having my data than the US military. Now. . . I'm not so sure who I don't want to have my data.

But actually, my biggest issue with a lot of customized content, is that I find that I always seem to get bad recommendations. Evidently the algorithms haven't figured me out, and so if I use google, I get bad search results, because google has made some false assumptions about me.

 

[Miss B]

I watch TV (or listen to it mostly when working on the computer), but it's old so not a "smart TV", and I won't be giving it up any time soon. As long as it works, and doesn't blow up (my last one started to smoke), I'll just relegate this info to the back of my mind . . . in case I ever need it.

 

[Seebee]

And don't forget your tin hat.

 

[McGyver]

I'm not sure it's a tinfoil hat issue... It's more consumer rights and basic privacy issues...

My feeling is if you want access to my data, you have to:
• Clearly ask for it
• Clearly state where and what it will be used for
• ABSOLUTELY NOT hobble or otherwise restrict major ADVERTISED features which in no way rely on the data collection process if I do not grant access...
In other words: Disabling Netflix connection or internet access because I won't let you collect my data is BS, at most minor features like personalized ads and targeted marketing are affected by this.
If the software that runs the device is designed in such a way that the Smart TV is turned into a basic monitor that can only play video games and DVDs if you opt out of data collection then the manufacturer should be REQUIRED to prominently display this on the box or web page on which it is sold.

If I sold a 1200 lumen flashlight and in all, the ads, the website and on the box it said "Super Bright 1200 lumen flashlight pierces the dark and lights the night!"... "Cutting edge micro small LED technology puts ultra bright lighting into a flashlight no bigger than the single AA size alkaline batteries it uses!!"
and based on that you purchased it... But when you opened the box you found out it was only 100 lumens with normal alkaline batteries...
To get the full 1200 lumen brightness you would have to purchase a battery subscription from the flashlight manufacturer... Regardless of whether or not it was a good deal or convenient or not...
How would you feel?
This was not the deal you were sold.

Joke about tinfoil hats, but recently it was revealed that 2 smart toys (My Friend Cayla and I-Que Itelligent Robot) designed to respond to children's conversations were actually recording and transmitting the data to the manufacturer, who was in turn sharing that data with a defense contractor specializing in voice recognition software.
These Toys Don’t Just Listen To Your Kid; They Send What They Hear To A Defense Contractor
I don't even know where to begin with the wrongness and creepiness of this...
Nowhere in the EULA is it mentioned that ultimately the child's conversation will be recorded and shared in such a manner... Not accepting the terms renders the toy useless.
Now here you have basic trust in terms of "well what kind of data are they going to collect from a doll... How many time I visit their website?... How long the doll gets used?... Did I buy accessories for it?... Megh, accept the terms and move on"
It's a children's toy, it's probably a standard EULA.
Who is going to buy a toy for a child, open the box to set it up for them and then tell them... No sorry, there is a vague EULA and I think we should return it"... Especially if it's a special gift like from Santa or grandma...

Even if it's the vaguest of data being shared in the most innocuous manner, I still look at bulk of stuff like this as gateway events...
Each time someone makes a move like this, it emboldens either them or a competitor to further encroach upon unexplored territory... If the advance goes unnoticed or meets no resistance and provides benefits or profit to the party or parties in question, it makes perfect sense to proceed further.
Even if it will eventually lead to a situation that in all practical sense puts the consumer at a complete disadvantage or leads to circumstances that will ultimately harm the consumer.

It's not conspiracy, it practical thinking...
If a squirrel chews the garden hose and wires to my garden lights there is a reason... For some reason they like soft PVC material... So if I see one snuffling about on the power lines running to my house, am I paranoid to think there is some chance that the little booger might be thinking of gnawing on them?
Is the squirrel part of a greater conspiracy by woodland creatures to cut my power?... It funny to say it, but no... It's just a stupid squirrel, doing what stupid squirrels do... Chewing on stuff if you let them.
It's just practical to chase them away the moment you see them doing something that might cause you problems and to keep an eye on them if they get near places they don't belong.

Tinfoil hats is thinking the squirrel works for the power company and they sent him to chew on the wire so they can charge me for repairs... Being practical is knowing possibilities and opportunities exist that can be exploited for others gain, at my, or the public's expense, based on past and present trends and tendencies and calling it out when things seem to be going in a negative direction.
I see it as no less silly as not leaving ones wallet on the table unattended at a crowded fast food restaurant, while they go up front to get more napkins...
There is a good chance no one will take it, most people won't even notice it and if they do they will let you know you left it behind... But there is a chance, however small that someone unscrupulous may see an opportunity that others are not taking advantage of and walk off with it.

 

[Semicharm]

That's why I won't buy a "smart", or would ever connect one to my network if I did. They also tend to cut off support for updates after a year or two anyway. And even worse, not only can those things get hacked, they have little in the way of system security. Just like other devices, and even cars, they've had micro computers and software in them for ages. This wasn't much of an issue, as they were mostly isolated in their own little microcosm. The programmers don't know the first thing about security, or ever had to think about. Now, many of those same programmers are tasked with making all of these wiz-bang network and internet connected features. And as McGyver pointed out, some of those internet "features" are backhanded backend BS that doesn't have any benefit for the owner. As you can figure...none of this isn't going to end well.

BTW, I have a PC connected to my TV to handle all of the "smart" TV stuff and so much more. It also has security software, firewall, and gets regular updates. Smart TVs and most other devices don't.