Since your Smart phones an devices are always recording and listening

Since your Smart phones an devices are always recording and listening to your conversations are you O.K. with this ? I do realize many will say I have nothing to hide so why should it bother me ... I personally think this is wrong regardless of the proposed purpose which they usually say is to make the device better.

Full title is : Silicon Valley Is Listening to Your Most Intimate Moments

Ruthy Hope Slatis couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She’d been hired by a temp agency outside Boston for a vague job: transcribing audio files for Amazon.com Inc. For $12 an hour, she and her fellow contractors, or “data associates,” listened to snippets of random conversations and jotted down every word on their laptops. Amazon would only say the work was critical to a top-secret speech-recognition product. The clips included recordings of intimate moments inside people’s homes.

This was in fall 2014, right around the time Amazon unveiled the Echo speaker featuring Alexa, its voice-activated virtual-assistant software. Amazon pitched Alexa as a miracle of artificial intelligence in its first Echo ad, in which a family asked for and received news updates, answers to trivia questions, and help with the kids’ homework. But Slatis soon began to grasp the extent to which humans were behind the robotic magic she saw in the commercial. “Oh my God, that’s what I’m working on,” she remembers thinking. Amazon was capturing every voice command in the cloud and relying on data associates like her to train the system. Slatis first figured she’d been listening to paid testers who’d volunteered their vocal patterns in exchange for a few bucks. She realized that couldn’t be.

Amazon is winning the sales battle so far, reporting that more than 100 million Alexa devices have been purchased. But now a war is playing out between the world’s biggest companies to weave Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Alphabet’s Google Assistant, Microsoft’s Cortana, and Facebook’s equivalent service much deeper into people’s lives. Mics are built into phones, smartwatches, TVs, fridges, SUVs, and everything in between. Consulting firm Juniper Research Ltd. estimates that by 2023 the global annual market for smart speakers will reach $11 billion, and there will be about 7.4 billion voice-controlled devices in the wild. That’s about one for every person on Earth.

In the old days the enforcement agencies had to go into your home/car/where ever and place a listening device at considerable risk of the device being found. Now many just carry around a listening device that records everything you may say or the conversation with your significant other as they go to the refrigerator wondering about what to prepare for supper.
I can see a day for your phone to actually work the phone will use facial recognition technology. Your face your phone or no workie. Maybe I am making a mountain out of a mole hill ?
www.bloomberg.com... campaign=pockethits

Understand I grew up when "Email:

One evening a grandson was talking to his grandfather about current events. The grandson asked his grandfather what he thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.



The Grandfather replied, "Well, let me think a minute, I was born before:



' television

' penicillin

' polio shots

‘ frozen foods

' Xerox

‘ contact lenses

‘ Frisbee's and

' the pill



There were no:



' credit cards

‘ laser beams or

' ball-point pens



Man had not invented :



‘ pantyhose

‘ air conditioners

‘ dishwashers

' clothes dryers, microwave ovens, cell phones, or fax machines

' and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and

‘ space travel was only in Flash Gordon books.



Your Grandmother and I got married first,... and then lived together. Every family had a father and a mother. Until I was 25, I called every woman older than me, "ma'am". And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, "Sir".



We were before gay-rights, computer-dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy.



Our lives were governed by the Bible, good judgment, and common sense. We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.



Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege... We thought fast food was eating half a biscuit while running to catch the school bus.



Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.



Draft dodgers were those who closed front doors as the evening breeze started.



Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends-not purchasing condominiums.



We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CD's, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.



We listened to Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radios. And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.



If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan' on it, it was junk.



The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam...



Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of.



We had 5 &10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents. Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel. And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.



You could buy a new Ford Coupe for $600, .... but who could afford one? Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.



In my day:



' "grass" was mowed,

' "coke" was a cold drink,

' "pot" was something your mother cooked in and

' "rock music" was your grandmother's lullaby.

' "Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office.

' "chip" meant a piece of wood,

' "hardware" was found in a hardware store and

' "software" wasn't even a word.



And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby.

Yeah. I noticed recently that Amazon has been pushing those things hard. Offering them for really low prices. Which even when I bought a Fire tablet a few years ago I wondered how the hell they could sell the damn things that cheap (even if they were rather craptacular tablets). Now we know. They had their eye on getting this spyware in as many places as they possibly could for many years I'll bet.

I mean, not that it isn't kinda cool tech. But just....I dunno. The idea of internet connected microphones that all go to one of the biggest companies in the world in your friggin house seems like something out of a dystopian nightmare. Seriously. WTF is wrong with people? Buying into this? It's like somehow people just lost all their friggin brain cells or something.

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
Yeah. I noticed recently that Amazon has been pushing those things hard. Offering them for really low prices. Which even when I bought a Fire tablet a few years ago I wondered how the hell they could sell the damn things that cheap (even if they were rather craptacular tablets). Now we know. They had their eye on getting this spyware in as many places as they possibly could for many years I'll bet.

I mean, not that it isn't kinda cool tech. But just....I dunno. The idea of internet connected microphones that all go to one of the biggest companies in the world in your friggin house seems like something out of a dystopian nightmare. Seriously. WTF is wrong with people? Buying into this? It's like somehow people just lost all their friggin brain cells or something.

I have similar thinking about this...When those Alexa and other voice command first came out I thought "there's no way that is only listening to the commands you tell, it will listen to EVERYTHING!" And yep sure enough it does. No expectation of privacy with that in your home. And now LE can just potentially listen in or take your device and listen to every word you spoke while the dam thing was in home. F that... I will never own one of those

I think everyone should randomly say stuff they’d never do randomly just to make it a pointless endeavor to spy on us.

For example: Randomly send a text I’m gonna blow something up or I’m going to end Representative _______. Maybe even randomly search on how to make a bomb or other controversial things.

If they are gathering this intel the way I’m thinking which would be using keywords to pull info, it would render this strategy useless. It’s really the only idea I have to end it since we know the politicians and intel community won’t end it.

ETA: I got a little ahead of myself, I’m unsure what we can do about the spying related to advertising to the populace. That’s a completely different monster.

originally posted by: Middleoftheroad
I think everyone should randomly say stuff they’d never do randomly just to make it a pointless endeavor to spy on us.

For example: Randomly send a text I’m gonna blow something up or I’m going to end Representative _______. Maybe even randomly search on how to make a bomb or other controversial things.

If they are gathering this intel the way I’m thinking which would be using keywords to pull info, it would render this strategy useless. It’s really the only idea I have to end it since we know the politicians and intel community won’t end it.

ETA: I got a little ahead of myself, I’m unsure what we can do about the spying related to advertising to the populace. That’s a completely different monster.

I sort-of agree, but some of the suggestions are a bit far and could probably ruin your life. Feed them nonsense, but not terroristic plans. I've done some of this, like saying, "Remember when Senator _______ showed up at the party at Mike's with a huge bag of blow and a bunch of male prostitutes? That was nuts!"

I was at a clients home and they have a whole house generator and we where talking about a inspection of the generator and I mentioned its is best to have a "generac" service company inspect the generator. Wallah 2 days later Im getting ads for Generac generators. Have not had a call about it, or searched online about it. Just picked up on a conversation via my cell phone.

This isnt the first time either same thing happened about a conversation about the Galopogos Islands.

Joked with my girlfriend about doing a video and pretending to be a terrorist and plotting to see if I get a knock at the door but not really fond of a no knock raid so scratched that idea.

a reply to: 727Sky

a reply to: 727Sky

We sold our souls when we bought our first mobile phones. First they tracked our locations via GPS, then started taking pictures and recording audio while we were unaware. Any App you download requires you give permission that allows each one to do this and if you deny the permission you cannot use the App. The spying spread to our laptops, home computers, tablets and televisions- and now even our automobiles and tractors. Even if you have none of these there are cameras tracking your every move and through debit and credit cards every cent you spend is monitored. In some cases even our kitchen appliances and electric meters are in on the game.

At this point the question really becomes "Why do you even care anymore?"

It's all already a done deal and there is no turning back- so you might as well embrace it. Even if you went completely off grid and became 100% self sufficient there are satellites recording your every move.

a reply to: GeauxHomeYoureDrunk
Newbie.
When I started with "cell phones" they came with a bag (bag phone), then the brick, then the pocket phone, then the folder. ANALOG PHONES! You didn't have to worry about anything more intrusive than RF eavesdropping back then. Too much bandwidth for analog signal interception analysis etc (90's). Never a cloud in the network.

Now - why bother. Carry the phone in a lead lined film bag. Put it in a Faraday Cage at home. Disable your camera app.
Too bad about the built-in microphone, use a bluetooth with an off/on switch.
Still can't get away from it! Moving to South America... at least away from the cities not much surveillance infrastructure...

ganjoa

a reply to: 727Sky
I don't like it but it was always going to lead to 1984, the moment they sold the general public on smart technology.

The alternative is to live in a hut with no electricity?

I'm mean, I'm not OK with spying but if the convenience and ease of life with the device outweighs it then what can you do?

originally posted by: Irishhaf
a reply to: 727Sky
I don't like it but it was always going to lead to 1984, the moment they sold the general public on smart technology.

All so people don't have to stand up and walk across the room and turn a light on or off. If you want to turn the world into a police state, all you gotta do is advertise to the lazy and the stupid people first. Once you get enough people to buy into it, you can browbeat the rest of the population into compliance by making them feel like they're not cool if they're not doing it.

Alexa is absolutely a surveillance device.

The Feds want a digitized dossier on you that is complete with audio and visual records. That’s why apps/smart phones/the internet of things/google are all so important/ingrained in our lives/connected - it’s how the digital version of you is built. It’s everything you do - literally - in one place.

Alexa has been around and gotten popular for what... 2-3 years? Kind of ironic that China started their social credit system around the same time.

Only difference is China could mandate their system in communist fashion. In American/capitalistic fashion, we had to package it as a value add and actually make people want/buy the thing - make them pay for their own oversight .

In a way, the similarities of the state run Chinese’s credit system and the US system of social media/NSA/online everything usingcorporate entities to do it - builds a hell of a case for there truly being the NWO or above the governments force at play working to a long-term end. Two systems doing the same thing that come along close to each other in timing that speak to each society perfectly - what are the odds?

a reply to: EnigmaChaser

I think it's probably more insidious than most people give it credit for. If (for example) they decided to try that "social credit" garbage here, a huge surveillance network like that would likely be a very handy thing for them to have. I suspect if something like that does happen to be their end goal, it's something they'd roll out slowly enough to where they wouldn't have to force it. By the time people got a really good look at it, it'd be too late to complain.

a reply to: 727Sky they are only watching and listening if you let them you can always change the settings, turn them off, or simply not buy one. I turn the listening function on my phone off as it's a pain because it goes off when you are not expecting it and because it drains the battery.

a reply to: 727Sky

I do realize many will say I have nothing to hide so why should it bother me ... I personally think this is wrong regardless of the proposed purpose which they usually say is to make the device better.

Those who say "I have nothing to hide so why should it bother me." cannot see the deciet in that lillte statement can they ??????????????

The deciet is this - what makes you thing you will be the person who determines whether or not you have any thing to hide???? Why are you so damn naieve to think you will be the person who decides whether you have any thing to hide or not.

You obviousely cannot see you have been decieved.

If you were not decived you would know that the person most likely to be the frist person to determine if you have something to hide or not would be someone sitting in front of a computer screen christ knows where in the world.

The second person who woul decide if you have something to hide or not would two cops with their face about 01 inch away from yours in a police station.

Guess who will be the 3rd person ?????????????

When are you damn people going to wake up ????

a reply to: AaarghZombies

According to Cyber IT, you can't really turn it off.

I personally watched Cyber IT get data from a dead, broken phone, that could not be turned on. I will admit it was a long process and even he didn't think he was going to be able to pull it off, but he did.

It is not just phones any more. Appliances, TVs, Smart Meters, every street corner, even those that are on the corner of dirt roads and cow pastures, have us under constant surveillance.

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
a reply to: EnigmaChaser

I think it's probably more insidious than most people give it credit for. If (for example) they decided to try that "social credit" garbage here, a huge surveillance network like that would likely be a very handy thing for them to have. I suspect if something like that does happen to be their end goal, it's something they'd roll out slowly enough to where they wouldn't have to force it. By the time people got a really good look at it, it'd be too late to complain.

I think you’re right about that but I’d go a step further and say it’s already here.

Think of how important your credit score is - like your financial credit score. It matters for everything from job applications to living arrangements. When you wed that with social media, online activity, mass surveillance of public areas, etc. you already have the Chinese system. Actually, it’s probably better and more robust than the Chinese system. It just has “free market” consequences typically as opposed to government consequences.

Said another way, we have a “free market” version of the social credit system. Which is already in full force and people already don’t care about it - they literally pay money under the guise of security/convenience to invite more surveillance into their lives.

The worrying thing is that smartphones have made it easier to be spied upon.

Now, the even more worrying thing is that "the government" is not the only entity you should be worried about with regards to misusing technology. Criminals and criminal organisations could spy on us too for whatever reason...

www.theepochtimes.com...

Facebook has revealed in a letter sent to U.S. senators that it can locate users even if they opt-out of having location tracking turned on.

The social media company’s deputy chief privacy officer, Rob Sherman, made the disclosure in a letter to senators Christopher Coons (D-Del.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) after they asked about the company’s policies on location tracking.

In it, he explained that even if Facebook users turn off the location settings in their app, the company can piece together various bits of information, such as tagged photos, check-ins, and IP addresses, to determine where the individual is.

originally posted by: 727Sky
www.theepochtimes.com...

Facebook has revealed in a letter sent to U.S. senators that it can locate users even if they opt-out of having location tracking turned on.

The social media company’s deputy chief privacy officer, Rob Sherman, made the disclosure in a letter to senators Christopher Coons (D-Del.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) after they asked about the company’s policies on location tracking.

In it, he explained that even if Facebook users turn off the location settings in their app, the company can piece together various bits of information, such as tagged photos, check-ins, and IP addresses, to determine where the individual is.

Sounds about right.

I’m a firm believer that the broader populous as no clue just how much information companies have on people - never mind the social media giants.

Suffice to say, it’s a lot of data. And it’s worth an enormous amount of money.