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> “Most people don’t trust advertising, and having advertisers continually listen to what happens in our homes is scary,” he said. Well then don't buy a fuckin

> “Most people don’t trust advertising, and having advertisers continually listen to what happens in our homes is scary,” he said. Well then don't buy a fucking microphone that runs 24/7 in your living room, you dolt! Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

cryptoz 10y ago
That doesn't seem like very useful advice. Don't visit any of your friends who have bought it. Don't go out in public. Don't be a part of society. Don't even SMS or email anyone since they might have one too. The fight to reduce surveillance must happen even when the people who are fighting for privacy don't purchase the products that everyone else buys. If 99% of people have bought Google Home in the future, what good does it do to tell someone "hurr durr don't buy it?" No good at all.
- rboyd 10y ago
  I mean, he has a point. I'm all for fighting for privacy but what good does it do to pretend we're winning? We're losing / already lost.
  - rexpop 10y ago
    Or, perhaps, that is part of the story of submission we're fed as propaganda.
- electic 10y ago
  This episode is a good learning experience for these people about the dangers of having an all listening microphone in your house. The best thing we can do, is keep educating people. The one thing we can do is create something like UL/Consumer reports for privacy. It is desperately needed. People automatically check this site to see what the exposure is of having a certain device in your home. I hope this comes to pass.
eanzenberg 10y ago
How is this realistic? Don't buy a cell phone? Don't buy a computer with built in microphone?
- rocky1138 10y ago
  A computer with a microphone and a cell phone both have the social contract of only "on demand" recording, as in, the user directly turns on the microphone and is aware that the recording is happening. A trojan horse like Alexa and Google's device sneakily reverses this contract to the benefit of the corporation/government. People still feel the listening devices are "on demand" but in fact are being listened to all the time. Education is really the only way I can see that any of us at the ground level can effect any change, here.

cryptoz 10y ago

That doesn't seem like very useful advice. Don't visit any of your friends who have bought it. Don't go out in public. Don't be a part of society. Don't even SMS or email anyone since they might have one too. The fight to reduce surveillance must happen even when the people who are fighting for privacy don't purchase the products that everyone else buys. If 99% of people have bought Google Home in the future, what good does it do to tell someone "hurr durr don't buy it?" No good at all.

rboyd 10y ago
I mean, he has a point. I'm all for fighting for privacy but what good does it do to pretend we're winning? We're losing / already lost.
- rexpop 10y ago
  Or, perhaps, that is part of the story of submission we're fed as propaganda.
electic 10y ago
This episode is a good learning experience for these people about the dangers of having an all listening microphone in your house. The best thing we can do, is keep educating people. The one thing we can do is create something like UL/Consumer reports for privacy. It is desperately needed. People automatically check this site to see what the exposure is of having a certain device in your home. I hope this comes to pass.

eanzenberg 10y ago

How is this realistic? Don't buy a cell phone? Don't buy a computer with built in microphone?

rocky1138 10y ago
A computer with a microphone and a cell phone both have the social contract of only "on demand" recording, as in, the user directly turns on the microphone and is aware that the recording is happening. A trojan horse like Alexa and Google's device sneakily reverses this contract to the benefit of the corporation/government. People still feel the listening devices are "on demand" but in fact are being listened to all the time. Education is really the only way I can see that any of us at the ground level can effect any change, here.