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Bose Headphones Secretly Collected User Data, Lawsuit Reveals (fortune.com)
The audio maker Bose, whose wireless headphones sell for up to $350, uses an app to collect the listening habits of its customers and provide that information to third parties -- all without the knowledge and permission of the users, according to a lawsuit filed in Chicago. From a report: The complaint accuses Boston-based Bose of violating the WireTap Act and a variety of state privacy laws, adding that a person's audio history can include a window into a person's life and views. "Indeed, one's personal audio selections -- including music, radio broadcast, Podcast, and lecture choices -- provide an incredible amount of insight into his or her personality, behavior, political views, and personal identity," says the complaint, noting a person's audio history may contain files like LGBT podcasts or Muslim call-to-prayer recordings.
Paranoid yet?
I've bought Bose headphones (no, not the wireless: it's pretty improbable they spy on me, for a lack of channel for that).
Remember to add Bose to no-buy list.
HELLO, BOSE: You just went from "I'm a happy customer" to "You're on my no-buy list". Are you glad now?
(Captcha: "decibel". Perhaps my earphones are listening on me, after all?)
I don't understand why The Kids (TM) are obsessed with apps. Any time someone tries to get you to use an app where you don't have to, you can be pretty sure it's in order to harvest more data about you.
Captcha: everyday
I don't buy expensive headphones and generally have avoided some things that are privacy invading. But even surfing the web I get some well-timed mailings that make me fucking paranoid as shit. So to that end I have a request of corporate America: My life is not a resource to be commoditized. Stop fucking spying on me you slimy pieces of shit. I will share information with you IF I WANT TO.
Sigh. I know this is Slashdot, but come on!
No.
The lawsuit alleges (innocent until proven guilty) that the Bose completely optional app - not the headphones - collects too much data and shares it with 3rd parties without the user's consent.
Which is bad if true, but it is a far cry from the "your headphones are spying on you" that the headline claims.
Unsurprisingly, Slashdot probably picked this up to take yet another a jab at Apple.
Now, queue ignorant comments about how bluetooth headphones are tools of the devil, Apple is evil, etc.
Sure, this is not a good thing. But also remember, lawsuits like these are not filed by users who feel they were wronged, they are filed by lawyers looking for a good payout, it's a business plan. You, the user, will get a $25 coupon on an additional Bose purchase.
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
This should be interesting to watch play out. I honestly don't see this making it to trial and if it does, it'll be a speedy victory for Bose. The PTB absolutely do not want any sort of precendent set that says they are violating wire tapping and other privacy laws with these sort of everyday increasing intrusions from "smart devices".
However, one can be hopeful that a hard nosed judge is selected that truly sees this growing trend as the problem it has become and gives Bose the ban hammer. Such a ruling would have interesting implications for all sorts of devices. Ah well, shit in one hand, hope in the other I guess.
Why would anyone spend $350 on a pair of headphones? I typically spend $10 to $20 for headphones.
Bose - the triumph of marketing over substance.
In the article it says you can use the headphones without the app. Bose "encourages" customers to download and use the app with the headphones. That should give it away. Why do you think they want you to use their app? You can adjust the app settings - presumably what it can and cannot do. It seems what Bose did wrong was not be clear up front as to what the default result of using the app would be. That's not quite as bad as your smart TV spying on you if you connect it to your internet connected LAN.
I'm going to recheck my microwave now. I wonder if I should down this GE microwave app.
Very often, people confuse simple with simplistic. The nuance is lost on most. - Clement Mok
Anyone want to start a conversation regarding new privacy legislation where consumer electronics come into play? First, Comey saying there is no such thing as privacy any more, paraphrasing of course. Second, your browsing history up for grabs to the highest bidder. Third, this goes on and on. EULA is the devil in all details and should be abolished. When do citizens get to realize the bill of rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of what? Submission?
Why wouldn't cable set top boxes and roku like media players not collect such data? The incentives are enormous. All they need some legal fig leaf. Credit card companies have been consolidating spending habits. Target famously detected the pregnancy of a girl unbeknownst to her parents.
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
...living in a faraday cage.Those fellows are no longer considered paranoid, but farseeing. It seems if it has a wireless connection (known or unknown), which is virtually anything electronic these days, you need to wear a tin foil hat to use your headphones privately.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Einstein
The headphones aren't collecting any data. The App is, it's just another app selling your information. That's what apps are for!
... the headphones listen to you!
I don't respond to AC's.
It will be interesting to see if any execs go to jail or will it be a banker like settlement where Bose pays a fine and admits no guilt.
You want data? You shall receive! It's about time we start writing apps that supply data to those data hungry collectors. All kinds of data. You want to know what web pages I visit? Fire up a script that visits all of them. You want to know what YouTube videos I watch? Fire up a script that opens a load of them in the background while I watch the one I actually want to watch. You want to know what ... you get the idea.
There is one thing that's worse for someone trying to sell data than having no data: Having worthless data where he can't tell what's genuine and what's trash. As soon as organizations wanting to buy that data realize that they're buying worthless junk, the whole shit ends pretty fucking quickly. Data is only valuable if you have someone who wants it. And nobody wants to spend money on incorrect data.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
I mean, ISPs can do it, so why can't they?
Users of ISPs likely agreed to their monitoring via a EULA they didn't read.
IANAL, but on the surface it appears that Bose fucked up by not even offering up a EULA for no one to read.
start surfing for things you like to watch and stay there. At least you will have something nice to look at when you are reading.
Was the company really so naive as to not include verbiage granting them permission to do this in the "User Agreement" or "Terms of Use" that users are required to accept prior to installing the app?
Most cell phone apps require you to agree to forfeit your privacy for the privilege of using the app? Many of the agreements I've seen clearly specify that they will access just about everything on your phone, including the camera and microphone, to gather data about you.
My wife bought a Wave IV Soundtouch with a 30-day return policy - the only good policy they have and the one we exercised.
Want to set the thing up and use the features you paid for like Internet radio? You have to use the app. The first thing the app requires to even start setup is access to your location. WTF? Then there is their so-called "privacy" policy (which is currently so private that they have broken links on their site so you can't even find it now) that allows them to track your listening (which could even include AM, FM, CD, etc), combine it with other info and sell or use it for marketing purposes.
In the words of my sound engineer friend: BOSE stands for Bring Other Sound Equipment.
~~~~~~~
"You are not remembered for doing what is expected of you." - Atul Chitnis
I read the article and complaint. Lots of allegations of wrong-doing, but I don't see a shred of evidence presented anywhere. Maybe the legal complaint is the wrong place for a technical discussion, but I'd like to see some sort of evidence of the app sending data back to the mothership. Anyone know where to find a good technical analysis?
Chelloveck
I give up on debugging. From now on, SIGSEGV is a feature.
For everyone saying "You don't have to download the app". If you want to use all of the features of the headset, like adjusting the balance, etc. you have to use the app. I'm not sure about Bose but some of the higher end headphones won't let you upgrade the firmware over USB either, you have to use the app.
I'm allowing for hyperbole but if this turns out to be true I hope the judge/jury kicks Bose straight in the corporate nuts, hard and repeatedly.
This is why a headphone jack is important. Analog connections are better for users.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
I bought Bose because they were in stores I could walk into and try them. I understand that they are not the *best* sounding headphones, but I could try them on and they were very comfortable. Also they explained to me how I could buy replacement silicone pieces (I lost them all the time), and how I could get a reduced rate on my next set of headphones as a trade-in any time. They have been with me for a great many years now. Currently I am looking at getting a Klipsche but I have no idea where I can go to try them. Maybe if I were in a big city there would be a place but I live in the other 80% of the country.
So I guess to put it simply, the answer is customer service and honest sales techniques.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Crap, I read Bose.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
As an experiment I bought a pair of Noisehush for fifty bucks on sale. I mainly use them on flights and -- surprise -- they really make a difference. Probably not as effective as the Bose dampers for sure... But they kill the jet noise and cabin chatter and let me get immersed in my content. They are a little cheaply made IMHO and required a minor hack to the keep battery cover in place. They use AAA batteries. I keep spares in the case. They last 120 hours. I don't know.... A quick battery swap vs a recharge? Anyway. Not a problem. Seeing this article I get the warm glow of schadenfreude because I always envied people their pricey Bose jobs. I imagined them in 350 bucks worth of private solitude. Not any more. Not. Any. More. Bose Bitchez.
"No fear. No envy. No meanness." Liam Clancy
I've read a lot of reviews and they all say Bose has the best noise reduction hands down. I wouldn't call myself a Bose crusader, they just happen to be my best headphones to date.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Anyone who downloaded the app, but failed to look for a Privacy Policy stating explicitly how the metadata would be treated has nobody but themselves to blame. I recently attended a professional conference where one of the sponsors offered an app that would automatically collect virtual business cards and brochures from the booths where you scanned a QR code. No Privacy Policy, so I deleted it immediately. I visited the sponsor with a "WTF?" and they acted like it was unreasonable for me to want to know what they planned to do with the list of vendors I visited.
For 350 clams they better be. Not saying my cheaper gear was better or even as good. Just saying that for one sixth of the price I get a serviceable device which is by far better than the phones issued on the plane. By far. Good enough to really improve my journey. Oh, and they are too cheap to come with their own app. Another plus IMHO.
"No fear. No envy. No meanness." Liam Clancy
Generally speaking, its been my experience that the company who buys the most ad space has the best noise reduction. And bullshit makes the world go around.
So you think Bose can by more ad space than Sony, Apple, Samsung, and Panasonic? Interesting. Not just more of the ad space but ALL the ad space to shut out every other competitor on every review site for the last 5 years or so. Interesting.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Yes, it is interesting, isn't it? I suppose you believe the reviews on amazon as well?
If I were to use Key loggers etc to spy on people on the internet, they would lock me up. Tell me the difference between that and corporations tracking your every move every day. Where did the laws get changed to allow that to happen? And when did the internet become the sole domain of corporations? There should be a users bill of rights for the average citizen, not a it's ok for us corporate types to spy on you, but don't spy on us. Also isn't it time to get rid of metered internet? Other countries treat the use of the internet as a utility and charge a flat rate no matter what you use. The big Telcoms want you to pay high rates and extortion priced phones which all seem to be priced fixed to about 650 a piece. We have less privacy and security now than any other time in history. Bose is off my purchase list as well
While I appreciate that you are giving Bose the benefit of the doubt, I don't think they deserve it. Based on my experiences with other companies, and their bone-headed decisions, I would err on the side of caution and assume that Bose is probably doing just that.
It doesn't even need to be planned or nefarious. It's simply too easy to go from creating an app, to adding something in there that provides debugging information, to deciding that the debugging information is useful, to sharing that information with related companies.
The more people I meet, the better I like my dog.
Completely junk news. grrrr
This sig can be distributed under the LGPL license
Giving examples as to how other people may be targeted due to the kinds of things they listen to does not mean that you want to target them yourself, nor does it mean that those examples should receive some sort of "special expectation of privacy" compared to any other example. Unless I'm misunderstanding, a group like the ACLU must be the most stigmatizing group of all in your mind.
I have Bose QC3 headphones but am tired of wires. I know I could use it without the app, but is still a strike against Bose IMO.
The biggest problem I've have with these is the wire. It's cheap and tends to fray at the connectors. I'm on my 3rd cable and you can't just use any male to male 3.5mm cable because the plastic molding around the plug won't allow it to fit.
The 2nd biggest problem is feedback. I guess this is due to dust buildup as spraying compressed air into them seems to fix it. If compressed air is not readily available and I get them adjusted just right on my head the feedback goes away but it's tricky.
The 3rd problem is of course that it requires a battery to work at all. If the battery is dead, why wouldn't they make it work without the noise-cancelling abilities?
Obviously a wireless headphone will require batteries so I can live with that. I just have to have two batteries. Oh, the QC35 does not have user-replaceable batteries. It's a non-starter for me now. I have been listening to my QC3s so many times when the battery has died that not being able to pop in my backup battery would mean I can't use them much of the time.
I have a pair of around ear headphones and ear buds. The ear buds I bought because I knew a sales person for an electronics shop that was basically able to sell anything 'at cost' to friends and family and they were half price.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.