Most of us already knew that the NSA Government agency has been spying on our phone conversations, according to the Patriot Act. But according to reports, you don't even have to been "on" the phone to be spied on.
One of the biggest companies that tags your phone and computer with their spyware is Google.
MSN--
Privacy campaigners and open source developers are up in arms over the secret installing of Google software which is capable of listening in on conversations held in front of a computer.
First spotted by open source developers, the Chromium browser – the open source basis for Google’s Chrome – began remotely installing audio-snooping code that was capable of listening to users.
It was designed to support Chrome’s new “OK, Google” hotword detection – which makes the computer respond when you talk to it – but was installed, and, some users have claimed, it is activated on computers without their permission.
Google has brushed it off, now claiming that Chromium is not a part of Google... really?
“The key here is that Chromium is not a Google product. We do not directly distribute it, or make any guarantees with respect to compliance with various open source policies,”
Google developer mgiuca said.
We also learned that Samsung televisions are eavesdropping on their owners. If you have one of their Internet-connected smart TVs, you can turn on a voice command feature that saves you the trouble of finding the remote, pushing buttons and scrolling through menus. But making that feature work requires the television to listen to everything you say. And what you say isn't just processed by the television; it may be forwarded over the Internet for remote processing.
A single sentence buried in a dense “privacy policy” for Samsung’s Internet-connected SmartTV advises users that its nifty voice command feature might capture more than just your favorite television show request.
“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,”
the policy reads.
There is a way to opt out of this policy, but if you don't know about it how will you know to opt out?
Voice search functions have become an accepted feature of modern smartphones, but their movement into the home through the smart TV, and now browser, have caused concerns over the possibility of being listened to within the home.
Even if we don't speak, our computers are paying attention. Gmail "listens" to everything you write, and shows you advertising based on it. It might feel as if you're never alone. Facebook does the same with everything you write on that platform, and even listens to the things you type but don't post.
We personally think it's annoying to turn on our TVs or computers to see a bunch of stuff targeted towards us because they have been spying on our private conversations.
How do YOU feel about your every conversation and private act being listened to? Then in return, placing advertisements that they THINK would suite you?
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