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New Samsung TV Watches You Watching It
CanHasDIY writes "Straight out of 1984, Samsung has unveiled a new series of televisions with integrated cameras and microphones, complete with facial and voice recognition software. Best of all, there appears to be no physical indication of the mic and camera's status, so consumers have no way of knowing when they're being monitored, or by whom... and if you don't find the idea of a TV that watches you creepy enough, apparently Samsung's Terms of Service include a clause allowing third-party apps to make use of the monitoring system, and use the data gathered for their own purposes. Nothing Orwellian about that..."
Look guys, it's just too easy.
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
Can't be. I don't recall reading about Apple releasing a television set that watches you while you watch it.
What about Max Headroom?
.....which were provided to Pennsylvanian teens, and had integrated cameras, but there was no indication to the users that they were being recorded in their bedrooms (by the government).
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
Maybe you could buy a different brand? Or is that too easy?
Best of all, there appears to be no physical indication of the mic and camera's status, so consumers have no way of knowing when they're being monitored, or by whom... and if you don't find the idea of a TV that watches you creepy enough, apparently Samsung's Terms of Service include a clause allowing third-party apps to make use of the monitoring system, and use the data gathered for their own purposes.
Did you somehow manage to miss that part of the summary? It's only most of the summary, after all. In short, there's plenty to see here, only it's third parties doing the seeing, and you apparently don't get any say in when they do the seeing, or what they use the footage for.
Write failed: Broken pipe
1.) rig a secondary/tertiary monitor output on a nearby desktop and wire it to the TV's camera/audio input.
2.) set the computer output to a nonstop 24/7 loop of "Friday" by Rebecca Black, along with a slide show that alternates between Goatse, 2 girls 1 cup, and horse porn.
3.) bask in the fact that somwhere, someone is regretting the release of this technology.
4.) Don't EVER cross the wires from step 1.
5.) Profit.
I'll go out on a limb here and say:
This TV is going to end up capturing so much footage of bored men fapping to porn.
I like big butts and I cannot lie.
Common response: "If you're not breaking the law, why wouldn't you let the cops search your car? (Or track you with cameras?) (Or record all your internet actions?)" -- It's amazing how easily americans are to give up their freedom to the government tyrants.
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
the best answer is always "to protect others whose freedom of political and spiritual expression is threatened by your actions". Always.
CS majors know the time/space tradeoff, but they never get taught the 3rd, crucial, tradeoff of the set: comprehension!
Oh hush. It's very easy.
50 cent roll of electrical tape. Cut a 3x3cm square using scissors. Place it over the camera aperature.
1$ bottle of superglue. The watery runny kind that whicks up into paper, and has a long neck applicator. Lay the television temporarily on a soft, cushioned surface face up, say, on the sofa. Into the microphone grill, gently dribble the runny superglue. Leave in this position for 2 to 3 hours for maximal cone set. Return television to the entertainment center, and feel marginally safer.
The first one is obvious how it works, but the second helps prevent the vibrational movement of the microphone pickup, greatly reducing its sensitivity. Sufficiently glued so that the cone can't move the coil, or the piezo crystal can't be flexed, and you have basically neutered it without opening the system unit.
These little steps are not hard at all. The hard part is staunchly refusing to buy such an intrusive Little whore of a gadget in the first place, as the powers that be all try like mad to get you to swallow that shit pill, and telescreen sensors become standard features.
Shit like this is why I refuse to buy stuff like the kinect. While you can unplug the ethernet cable on your console to ensure the thought police and social services don't see you spanking junior on candid camera, (with audio and motion tracking!), the act of buying an obvious spying device and installing it in your home tells fucked up marketing assholes that you want MOAR spying. I don't want to send that message.
The problem is, by bypassing the "feature" you are still paying for it, which will encourage Samgsung and other TV makers to continue to inculde it.
. .
Rejecting bullshit like that is about as easy as rejecting 3D televisions and cable TV. Practically no effort at all....
If this thing videos some teenagers screwing, will employees of the company be prosecuted under child porn laws? Will the teenagers be arrested for making child porn?
actually, it's even easier. Leave the entire TV in its box. In the shop.
Because you don't want those "features", but all the other HDTV makers jumped on the bandwagon too, and you simply can't find a non-bugged set?
That's how this kind of thing becomes ubiquitous you know.
Oh hush. It's very easy.
50 cent roll of electrical tape. Cut a 3x3cm square using scissors. Place it over the camera aperature.
1$ bottle of superglue. The watery runny kind that whicks up into paper, and has a long neck applicator. Lay the television temporarily on a soft, cushioned surface face up, say, on the sofa. Into the microphone grill, gently dribble the runny superglue. Leave in this position for 2 to 3 hours for maximal cone set. Return television to the entertainment center, and feel marginally safer.
>
Ooops. yo've just invalidated your warranty
From TFA Samsung says:
Samsung assumes no responsibility, and shall not be liable, in connection with whether any such products or services will be appropriate, functional or supported for the Samsung products or services available in your country.
and
Want to read the owner’s manual for your new Samsung TV? This is accomplished by download, as Samsung stopped including printed owner’s manuals at least two years ago. However, before you may download the manual, you must first agree to the following online statement: Samsung assumes no responsibility, and shall not be liable, in connection with whether any such products or services will be appropriate, functional or supported for the Samsung products or services available in your country.
In Australia, not only would these statements not have any legal standing, I suspect one or both may actually be in violation of consumer protection laws.
A related sci-fi book: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Light_of_Other_Days "The Light of Other Days is a 2000 science fiction novel written by Stephen Baxter based on a synopsis by Arthur C. Clarke, which explores the development of wormhole technology to the point where information can be passed instantaneously between points in the space-time continuum. ... The novel examines the philosophical issues that arise from the world's population (increasingly suffering from ecological and political disturbances) being aware that they could be under constant observation by anyone, or that they could observe anyone without their knowledge. ..."
There are a couple other similar sci-fi stories as well, including one about "Slow Glass" by Bob Shaw with the same name as that novel.
http://strick.net/blog/041103.html
And one about a similar time viewer (I forget the name).
A good thing to keep in mind is, just because we can do something, does not mean we should.
http://lostechies.com/derickbailey/2009/02/11/solid-development-principles-in-motivational-pictures/
http://lostechies.com/derickbailey/files/2011/03/SingleResponsibilityPrinciple2_71060858.jpg
What kind of word do we want to live in, and what kind of world do we want for our children, and children's children, and so on, for seven or more generations?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_generation_sustainability
A 21st century issue: the irony of technologies of abundance in the hands of those still thinking in terms of scarcity.
But are you sure that LED is not controlled by software (drivers)? Because otherwise, someone with control over the OS could disable that feature and record unannounced, while giving you a false sense of security.
Paranoia ftw.
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The television has detected more persons in the room than this content is licensed for.
Please reduce the number of persons in the room, or press the RED button to authorise a payment of a $X per additional person in the room.
Please explain to me why not having an indicator light is significant. The manufacturer controls how the entire thing is built, so it could also easily build in a function to use the camera but without making any status light come on. As I type this the status light of the camera in my Lenovo laptop is off.. But is the camera off, really?
Bit of a silly article. If you don't like web cams (or any camera) then just say so. Makes no sense to fully trust Logitech but not Samsung or anyone else.
Encore for the tinfoilers: every iPhone comes with one or two cameras. And you really don't know about the software that runs it.
Next.