1984 II: Big Brother goes private enterprise

[Hermit]

Samsung got Winston covered. Other manufacturers of "smart" television sets are bound to follow. Murdoch probably creams his suit pants right now, contemplating the possibilities of consolidating all of them into one giant snooping database, purely for the good of the consumer, of course.

"We can hear everything you say."

[Ari]

This is just a mediocre version of current technology, before it launched the XBone and it's integral Konnect II was touted as watching you watch TV, tracking your eye movements and even facial expressions so it could build a profile of your likes and dislikes. The heads of Xbox didn't realize why people would be skeptical of such an awesome and useful feature.

It's worth noting that to an extent most voice recognition systems these days do this as devices aren't powerful enough to translate your voice so it just gets recorded and sent to a large cluster for processing.

The NSA has had the ability to turn on laptop webcams (without activating the light) for years, and transmit the data over the interwebs, remember your computer is always watching you. Multiple schools have been caught recording webcam images from school provided laptops. While their program wasn't as covert it still raised questions since students often used the webcam as a high tech mirror.

At the rate things are going practically all technology will include integrated cameras and mics to be able to better interact with the user.

[Dingfod]

I think my phone is listening to not only what I or other people around me say, but to what is on television. When I go to google something pertinent to the conversation or about what I'm seeing on television, almost always first in the queue is exactly what we've been talking about. It's kind of convenient and at the same time more than a little bit scary.

[Ari]

In that case I'm guessing collective googling, all those watching the program at the same time had the same questions.

Although I wouldn't be surprised if basic tech like that has been tested, as we get closer and closer to breaking Moores law our brain's slow processing speed will come into play, if a computer can guess what you are going to do before you do it, it can start the process and thus appear faster than it really is because it basically read your mind and spent the cycles you were lazily figuring out what to do already processing your request.

Just watching the processor load on my 7 year old laptop makes it clear most of the time the fast dual core processor is waiting for the stupid human element to make up its mind.

[lisarea]

I think what Ari says. When we had cable, I used to have that happen when I'd look something up about something on TV, but now that I only do on demand streaming stuff, Google ne-he-hever knows what I mean about anything. They're always trying to autocorrect me and making dumb suggestions and stuff.

I find it kind of comforting that it's still so stupid, WHICH IS PROBABLY EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT ME TO THINK.

[Ari]

Originally Posted by lisarea

I think what Ari says.

Nark!

[Stormlight]

Originally Posted by Hermit

Samsung got Winston covered. Other manufacturers of "smart" television sets are bound to follow. Murdoch probably creams his suit pants right now, contemplating the possibilities of consolidating all of them into one giant snooping database, purely for the good of the consumer, of course.

"We can hear everything you say."

They finally listen to their customers! What more do you libtards want?

[Atehequa]

Having got rid of cable and not turned on a television set in my home for over three years, I don't miss it a bit. When the History Channel's mainstay transformed into low brow Reality TV entertainment some featuring inbred folk wallowing in the marsh it was time for us here to disconnect the cable.

I am curious to know just how fucking lazy or at best handicapped one has to be, owning a voice activated television set?

A Tek no logic sense of being.

[Hermit]

What gets me is the ease with which the snooping is tolerated. It's not as though we don't know that it happens or that it happens with increasing thoroughness. We just like the convenience and benefits of the technology so much that we will sacrifice our privacy that comes with them. Well most of us. So we can only use the messaging aspect of the Facebook app on our smartphones if we let the owners of that company switch our microphones and cameras on at will and without letting us know when they do it.

Shrug. "I must tell Georgina what Peter has said about her after class, and I can't wait." And yes, we use Google and so many other programs that we bloody well know engage in data mining our private activities to the fullest possible extent in order to sell the information on to big service providers, manufacturers of goods and major retailers. Oh, Kevin just messaged his mate,saying he has been busted? Slater & Slater, the law firm franchisor would like to hear about that, and so would Bailouts R Us.

Really, people, we are just helping you to get what you need or desire. What could possibly go wrong? Well, the various security agencies will certainly get their hooks into the game. Of course they'll say they only have security and law and order in mind. Sure thing. None of those agencies have been known to work to simply quash dissent, to defend the status quo no matter how vile, nor to hunt down and silence whistle blowers.

Vienna Teng wrote a song from the point of view of the database that expressed two of the facets of what is happening: the provision of benefits and the harvesting of private information. The darker, socio-political aspect is left out, but I still like what there is.

Trust us. We're good for you.

[lisarea]

I think a big part of the success of invasive and sketchy new technology is related to the inversion of the early adoption market.

Once upon a time, it was people with real interest and knowledge of technology who were the early adopters, and the first line of market acceptance. (That, and porn. I am not even joking that porn has often been the real killer app for new and improved consumer technologies, from home video to broadband.)

But now that connected technology is more commonplace, the early adopters are frequently the most technically naive. Especially for services and products that are largely cosmetic or convenience improvements. We don't have that first line of people testing out new products and evaluating them from a perspective of some expertise. Instead, we have people who don't know or care how they work or what they might be doing under the hood. They're often adopting new technologies because it lowers the bar, in fact, and makes things easier for people who don't understand them. And you get a saturation effect, and more often than we probably realize, a bleeding effect--where all you have to do is know someone who has adopted some technology for them to invade your privacy as well--and avoiding it yourself is just tilting at windmills.

[Janet]

I am really paranoid about searching stuff while I watch TV. I know that the cable box keeps Comcast apprised of what I'm watching and when, and since they provide my internet as well, they will know if I search for something I've just seen. Sometimes I'll think that I can't look something up on IMDB or Comcast will know, and then realize that I'm watching a DVD and it's fine. I'm even more careful not to go to any website I just saw an ad for. I really don't want advertisers to figure out what works with me.

I am pretty sure I posted this before, but Johnny Appleseed Cider flat out stalked my Twitter feed with sponsored posts after I tweeted a negative reaction to a Smith & Forge commercial. They also started advertising during the show I was watching while I did it. I know it's crazy to think they would change a national advertising buy for one tweet, but it's hard not to be paranoid when they pop up in your damn feed for months after one tweet.