Legislators Introduce Bill To Stop Set Top Boxes From Watching You

An anonymous reader writes "For a few years now, we've been hearing about TV-related devices that have built-in cameras and microphones. Their stated purpose is to monitor consumers and gather data — often to target advertising. (We'll set aside any unstated purposes — the uses they tell us about are bad enough.) Now, two members of the U.S. House of Representatives have submitted legislation to regulate this sort of technology. '[They] said they want to get out ahead of the release of this new technology and pass legislation that ensures it would include beefed up privacy protections for consumers. They added that this legislation is particularly relevant given the recent revelations about the National Security Agency's Internet surveillance programs. ... Additionally, the bill requires a cable box or set-top device to notify consumers when the monitoring technology is activated and in use by posting the phrase "We are watching you" across their TV screens.'"

Comments

Oh please!

[fustakrakich]

As if the law is going to stop people from spying...

Re:Oh please!

[fustakrakich]

Or else your DNA would have been public property...

How am I supposed to know it isn't? Trust them to tell me so? Haven't you people learned anything yet? Yeah, ok, it's not public property. It's the government's private property. I'm supposed to feel better, right?

Don't stop there

[rogueippacket]

Don't just limit this to set top boxes, include gaming consoles and make a big fucking red blinking light mandatory on devices like Glass.

Re:Don't stop there

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

And have the light hardwired to the camera power so it's physically impossible for software to turn it off.

This last bit will stop government from backdoor watching, even via court order.

Re:Don't stop there

[bmo]

And have the light hardwired to the camera power so it's physically impossible for software to turn it off.

And electrical tape or paint doesn't block light. Right?

--
BMO

That's fine

[DaMattster]

I think I'll drop my drawers and spread my ass cheeks really wide for the camera. Hopefully that'll nauseate the folks on the other end watching. Knowing my luck, if there is targeted advertising then I might suddenly see advertisements for Charmin Ultra and Tidy Bowl.

Re:That's fine

[kheldan]

I know you're going for the Funny here, but:

In the 1984-esque future that some people would have for us all, you'd be quietly picked up by law enforcement officials some time shortly afterwards, and taken to a hospital for "observation" because of your "deviant behavior", then either committed to a mental institution or a "re-education" facility to "cure" you of the mental illness causing your deviant outbursts. Have to protect the citizens, after all.

Re:That's fine

[DaMattster]

I'm partly going for funny and partly serious. I really don't want to be observed in my own home like that. I figure if I can make it distasteful enough, it may stop. :-)

Re:That's fine

[kheldan]

Trying to think like someone working for a police state would: If you were observed, you would probably at least get "interviewed" by the police, because they'd think that if you were that much of an exhibitionist, knowing that you were obviously being monitored, that you might expose yourself to children -- and we have to think of the children!
Of course that's why this shit has to be nipped in the bud as soon as possible, so we don't end up going down that road. Or, at least, put off going down that road until I'm dead, after which I won't give a crap, because I'll be dead.

I have some better ideas:

[kheldan]

1. Don't allow the technology at all. Why does your television or set-top box (video game consoles excluded) need a camera or microphone in it in the first place?
2. Mandatory user-configurable setting to turn off such devices permanently if that's what the consumer wants, or better yet, make such devices separate accessories that physically plug in, so you can physically disconnect them when you're not actively using them.

Re:I have some better ideas:

[__aaltlg1547]

What if some customers want to be watched? I assure you, there are many such people. Why do you think there are so many people with Facebook privacy settings wide open? Instead, make it so you can't make any of the cable services dependent on it. Then users who don't want to be watched can cover the camera port. Of course, even then, they'll attempt to manipulate you. They could show you only the most annoying possible ads if the camera port is covered, but show you ads that they have calculated will be less annoying to you if they can see you. No camera? Nonstop ads for penis pills, laxatives and feminine hygiene products.

Even basic ad targeting is more profitable than untargeted ads they shovel at us now. Why advertise high-end cars to people who can't afford them? A camera in your living room could tell that what you really might be interested in is a new couch and you probably don't have a lot of money to invest, or that you have young'uns or don't and tell whether it would be likely to be profitable to show you ads for diapers and toys.

Re:I have some better ideas:

[dugancent]

Most facebook profiles that wide open are because they don't know they are or don't know how to change it.

Re:I have some better ideas:

[__aaltlg1547]

You're just wrong. Nobody wants ads that are more intrusive than they already are, or they want them to be less intrusive. But if you're watching TV, they're GOING to show you ads, and they're going to have audio and video because that's the medium. Most people don't particularly care what ads, as long as those ads aren't more annoying than average, therefore most people won't care if the ads they get are targeted, and most people won't think twice about walking scantily dressed or naked or having sex in front of an active webcam.

When you do a web search, you see lots of ads. Your search results are full of them. On Google, they're all over the right sidebar. They call them sponsored links, but they're targeted ads. On Bing, which is the 2nd most used search engine in the USA, they're all over the page, as they are on Yahoo!

Put it on the box

[clarkkent09]

It's too late once you already bought the thing. There should be a message on the box in big bold letters, "this device may be used to watch what you are doing in your own house" or something, like on cigarette packs. If you don't mind, sure buy it but you should have the information ahead of time.

Re:Put it on the box

[kheldan]

1. Put it back in the box, take it back to the store, exchange it for something with no camera and no microphone.
2. Electrical tape over the camera and/or microphone.
3. Disconnect it from your network when you're not actively using these features for the legitimate purposes you bought them for.
3a. Doesn't work when disconnected from the network/internet? Return it to the store or sell it on Craigslist, get something that doesn't invade your privacy.

All fine and good, but what about the NSA?

[sideslash]

The NSA doesn't ask for permission. A head honcho director just recently lied to Congress under oath about the extent of surveillance, and nobody in charge seems to mind. Tell me again exactly what this law is supposed to accomplish?

Re:Disgusting anus

[worf_mo]

Why do I have to waste precious moderation points to downmod this crap? Why can't this be blocked automatically? It's not like it's something completely new and out of the blue.

Contact your congress critters....

[wiggles]

The bill is H.R. 2356, introduced by Michael Capuano (D-Mass) and Walter Jones (R-N.C.).

Find your congressman here. Send them some sort of correspondence that says you wish them to co-sponsor the bill. If you e-mail, make sure you request a response.

its like blocking data mining

[RobertLTux]

these sub-sentients with less than favorable lineage and parents not married (to each other) use various tricks to evade ip based blocking (and other things).

the only way for them to be blocked is for the admins to block based on keywords.

Re:Hmm

[wmac1]

"Legislators Introduce Bill To Stop Set Top Boxes From Watching You"

Awww, how considerate. How about a Bill to Stop "Prism, Fairview, Blarney, Boundless Informant ..." watching us? Oh... never mind.

Re: They are not idiot

[dgatwood]

Easy fix: Smear Vaseline on the lens. It will still be able to detect motion, but the image won't be useful for much else.

Re: Oh police!

[jxander]

For the microphone, I just tune a radio to whatever pop station I can find, and aim that directly at the mic. Maybe switch it up to yodeling every so often, or Gregorian Chants.

Then, once every couple days ... BLAMO!!! Balloon or brown paper bag popped right over the mic.