3 ms·

Doesn't Android show an indicator when the microphone is being used? Are they bypassing this?

armada651 2y ago
They're probably not doing it through smartphones, since the leaked slide deck never actually directly mentions the devices they're using to listen in on people only stating they're "smart devices": https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25051283-cmg-pitch-deck-on-voice-data-advertising-active-listening https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25051283-cmg-pitch-d... It is much more likely they're listening in using the microphones in smart TVs, which have much weaker privacy protections. This would also make sense since Cox Media Group is a broadcaster, thus they're much more likely to have broad access to data from smart TVs than from smartphones.
- trustno2 2y ago
  This makes way more sense.
- tjpnz 2y ago
  So AdGuard DNS to the rescue?
  - mananaysiempre 2y ago
    Firewalled LAN segments with no internet access, rather.
    - HenryBemis 2y ago
      I have been using NoRoot Firewall since my day1 with Android. It takes some times but I allow the least amount of rules per app, then block . per app, and block globally the ones I identify (trackers etc.) I also block 31... range globally and the FB and FBCDN addresses (namely)(but I don't use FB/IG/WA anyway)
      - nulltxt 2y ago
        Which one? Do you have a link, I'd like to try setting it up for myself
        bsmartt 2y ago
        google search that badboy, my man
  - madeofpalk 2y ago
    or just don't connect devices with lax security or privacy to the internet.
- bsmartt 2y ago
  Just so we're all clear, the question about facebook and phones specifically is not new.. 2016: https://qz.com/697923/heres-how-to-stop-facebook-from-listening-to-you-on-your-phone https://qz.com/697923/heres-how-to-stop-facebook-from-listen... https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/facebook-using-people-s-phones-to-listen-in-on-what-they-re-saying-claims-professor-a7057526.html https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/facebook-using-people-s-p... 2018: https://money.com/how-to-turn-off-phone-microphone-facebook-spying/ https://money.com/how-to-turn-off-phone-microphone-facebook-... 2019: https://newatlas.com/computers/facebook-not-secretly-listening-conversations/ https://newatlas.com/computers/facebook-not-secretly-listeni...
  - armada651 2y ago
    None of those articles provide evidence and the last article mentions how difficult it would be to hide such activity on a smartphone due to power and data constraints. A smart TV has none of those issues.
dartharva 2y ago
It does, but I doubt most people care about the unnoticeable tiny little green icon in the corner.
flir 2y ago
Frankly, I don't believe it. You can't hide the fact that packets are being shoved over the WAN. Somebody would have picked up on it.
- rightbyte 2y ago
  If you have speech synthesis running locally and send some keywords you can hide the data in the normal packets.
  - flir 2y ago
    I was under the impression that was still infeasible on mobile devices (battery, processor, etc). Happy to be corrected, because I have to admit it's only a matter of time.
    - bitnasty 2y ago
      It’s not about mobile devices, but smart tvs and cable boxes.
- pedrocr 2y ago
  From a quick search: "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 through your use of Voice Recognition," Samsung posted in its SmartTV privacy policy. https://money.cnn.com/2015/02/09/technology/security/samsung-smart-tv-privacy/index.html https://money.cnn.com/2015/02/09/technology/security/samsung... There's nothing to hide, it's part of the way the TVs work and explicitly stated by the manufacturers.
  - schiffern 2y ago
    >There's nothing to hide Sure there is. I would expect a feature called "Voice Recognition" would only be active when I was using voice commands (and perhaps the occasional accidental activation), but not at other times.
bsmartt 2y ago
So the "Hey siri"/"alexa"/"Ok Google", those features don't show your mic is recording, i dont think. Whether it's TVs or phones. all of the speech recognition and hands free control features are probably enough. there are masses of consumers that opt-in to these companies collecting data "to improve services" and other sketchy stuff. Honestly, I would think if you wanted to build a business around this it would be much better to go after the data collected behind EULAs that never got read than try to collect data from people who have all that shit turned off..

They're probably not doing it through smartphones, since the leaked slide deck never actually directly mentions the devices they're using to listen in on people only stating they're "smart devices": https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25051283-cmg-pitch-deck-on-voice-data-advertising-active-listening https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25051283-cmg-pitch-d... It is much more likely they're listening in using the microphones in smart TVs, which have much weaker privacy protections. This would also make sense since Cox Media Group is a broadcaster, thus they're much more likely to have broad access to data from smart TVs than from smartphones.

trustno2 2y ago
This makes way more sense.
tjpnz 2y ago
So AdGuard DNS to the rescue?
- mananaysiempre 2y ago
  Firewalled LAN segments with no internet access, rather.
  - HenryBemis 2y ago
    I have been using NoRoot Firewall since my day1 with Android. It takes some times but I allow the least amount of rules per app, then block . per app, and block globally the ones I identify (trackers etc.) I also block 31... range globally and the FB and FBCDN addresses (namely)(but I don't use FB/IG/WA anyway)
    - nulltxt 2y ago
      Which one? Do you have a link, I'd like to try setting it up for myself
      - bsmartt 2y ago
        google search that badboy, my man
- madeofpalk 2y ago
  or just don't connect devices with lax security or privacy to the internet.
bsmartt 2y ago
Just so we're all clear, the question about facebook and phones specifically is not new.. 2016: https://qz.com/697923/heres-how-to-stop-facebook-from-listening-to-you-on-your-phone https://qz.com/697923/heres-how-to-stop-facebook-from-listen... https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/facebook-using-people-s-phones-to-listen-in-on-what-they-re-saying-claims-professor-a7057526.html https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/facebook-using-people-s-p... 2018: https://money.com/how-to-turn-off-phone-microphone-facebook-spying/ https://money.com/how-to-turn-off-phone-microphone-facebook-... 2019: https://newatlas.com/computers/facebook-not-secretly-listening-conversations/ https://newatlas.com/computers/facebook-not-secretly-listeni...
- armada651 2y ago
  None of those articles provide evidence and the last article mentions how difficult it would be to hide such activity on a smartphone due to power and data constraints. A smart TV has none of those issues.

dartharva 2y ago

It does, but I doubt most people care about the unnoticeable tiny little green icon in the corner.

flir 2y ago

Frankly, I don't believe it. You can't hide the fact that packets are being shoved over the WAN. Somebody would have picked up on it.

rightbyte 2y ago
If you have speech synthesis running locally and send some keywords you can hide the data in the normal packets.
- flir 2y ago
  I was under the impression that was still infeasible on mobile devices (battery, processor, etc). Happy to be corrected, because I have to admit it's only a matter of time.
  - bitnasty 2y ago
    It’s not about mobile devices, but smart tvs and cable boxes.
pedrocr 2y ago
From a quick search: "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 through your use of Voice Recognition," Samsung posted in its SmartTV privacy policy. https://money.cnn.com/2015/02/09/technology/security/samsung-smart-tv-privacy/index.html https://money.cnn.com/2015/02/09/technology/security/samsung... There's nothing to hide, it's part of the way the TVs work and explicitly stated by the manufacturers.
- schiffern 2y ago
  >There's nothing to hide Sure there is. I would expect a feature called "Voice Recognition" would only be active when I was using voice commands (and perhaps the occasional accidental activation), but not at other times.

bsmartt 2y ago

So the "Hey siri"/"alexa"/"Ok Google", those features don't show your mic is recording, i dont think. Whether it's TVs or phones. all of the speech recognition and hands free control features are probably enough. there are masses of consumers that opt-in to these companies collecting data "to improve services" and other sketchy stuff. Honestly, I would think if you wanted to build a business around this it would be much better to go after the data collected behind EULAs that never got read than try to collect data from people who have all that shit turned off..