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Spanish Soccer League App In Google Play Wants To Use Phone Mics To Enforce Copyrights (arstechnica.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the permission-denied dept.

The official app for the Spanish soccer league La Liga, which has more than 10 million downloads from Google Play, was recently updated to seek access to users' microphone and GPS settings. "When granted, the app processes audio snippets in an attempt to identify public venues that broadcast soccer games without a license," reports Ars Technica. From the report: According to a statement issued by La Liga officials, the functionality was added last Friday and is enabled only after users click "eyes" to an Android dialog asking if the app can access the mic and geolocation of the device. The statement says the audio is used solely to identify establishments that broadcast games without a license and that the app takes special precautions to prevent it from spying on end users. [La Liga's full statement with the "appropriate technical measures to protect the user's privacy" is embedded in Ars' report.]

[E]ven if the app uses a cryptographic hash or some other means to ensure that stored or transmitted audio fragments can't be abused by company insiders or hackers (a major hypothetical), there are reasons users should reject this permission. For one, allowing an app to collect the IP address, unique app ID, binary representation of audio, and the time that the audio was converted could provide a fair amount of information over time about a user. For another, end users frequenting local bars and restaurants shouldn't be put in the position of policing the copyrights of sports leagues, particularly with an app that uses processed audio from their omnipresent phone.

77 comments

  1. Duped again! by WoodstockJeff · · Score: 4, Insightful

    https://yro.slashdot.org/story...

    1. Re:Duped again! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      fuck u jeff story submit with cron job is hard

    2. Re:Duped again! by jrumney · · Score: 1

      It's reassuring that after all these years, and changes of ownership, Slashdot remains the same as it always has been.

  2. Is this even legal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Presumably, they'd be recording also other people at the same venue who have not agreed to being recorded. Someone's voice is sensitive information. Given the new laws about privacy in the EU, I'm surprised this is even legal, or that they are taking the risk at all.

    1. Re:Is this even legal by ctilsie242 · · Score: 3

      This is probably for Central American countries where privacy laws are few to none, and where invasions of privacy will not go punished. I can see software like this in the US being used, with disabling the mic access considered a violation of the DMCA.

    2. Re: Is this even legal by youngone · · Score: 2

      I could be wrong, but ctilsie242 may be alluding to the fact that La Liga is really popular in Central Amrerican countries. br. La Liga may be under the impression that Central American countries don't buy licenses to broadcast the games.

    3. Re: Is this even legal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not yet... give it a few hundred million years.

    4. Re:Is this even legal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I can see software like this in the US being used, with disabling the mic access considered a violation of the DMCA.

      Then would not carrying a smartphone with a buggable mic be considered a crime?

      The general public has no business being the copyright police for the media cartels. If they want enforcement they should have to do it themselves. We the public, are constantly being fleeced for the culture we were promised when the copyright was granted, by the cartels demanding longer and longer copyright terms. If they won't do the enforcement themselves, then it's not worth the 120 (soon to be 140) year protection period it's been given.

    5. Re: Is this even legal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That would be like the US discovering that copyright is not being enforced in China. What can they do?

      I mean, at least the US is a superpower, but Spain. Pffft.

    6. Re: Is this even legal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, disabling the mic or having it return whatever noise if the user's choosing WOULD NOT be a DMCA violation.

    7. Re:Is this even legal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I can see software like this in the US being used, with disabling the mic access considered a violation of the DMCA.

      I'm thinking our ISPs will of course make deals to include sports broadcasts in your package of free streaming, so no need to actually have the ISP keep track of the bits that are sports related.

      And when the government needs to spy on you, well no need to track those bits either. I suppose the phone might go dead quicker, but that is harder to pin on something specific, at least if it is well hidden.

      More practically if you wanted to sign up for this draconian crap, you could identify times to check each day at random, then have the software wakeup and sample audio to look for a signature, and if it didn't see it, then not found.

      Heck you could even use it to figure out exactly what political and television broadcasts certain people watch, so as better to target political messages. Think of the possibilities if we permit spying by default?

    8. Re:Is this even legal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It seems like an obvious test case for the GDPR. Someone from Europe needs to formally request the audio recordings of themselves having sex with their wife while the football was on, and call in the lawyers when they don't deliver, or call in the lawyers when they do deliver.

    9. Re: Is this even legal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Spain is in Europe you muppet.

    10. Re:Is this even legal by pezezin · · Score: 1

      It's not legal, and the Spanish government is already investigating it: https://www.eldiario.es/tecnol... (link in Spanish) Whoever created this app is in deep trouble now.

    11. Re:Is this even legal by 1ucius · · Score: 1

      I don't know why you assume spying/bugging. It's more likely to be a tip line. Collect evidence for us using this convenient app and we'll give you $50.00.

  3. Great for battery life by omnichad · · Score: 2

    Imagine if a handful of apps on your phone were this bad. Would your battery even last through the day?

    1. Re: Great for battery life by Reverend+Green · · Score: 1

      DOES your battery even last through the day?

    2. Re: Great for battery life by omnichad · · Score: 1

      Two days.

    3. Re: Great for battery life by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      DOES your battery even last through the day?

      Yours doesn't? Probably all the kiddie porn you can't stop watching.

    4. Re:Great for battery life by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, grabbing 2-4 seconds of highly compressed audio every 20 seconds is not a hardship on your phones battery. Assuming 3 seconds every 20 seconds, more than enough for a positive match, that would be 1-3% battery increase tops. .

    5. Re:Great for battery life by omnichad · · Score: 1

      You have to wake the CPU for that. That's a lot more than you think.

  4. Go back to non-smartphones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Do it now while you have at least a shred of your personal privacy left to you. Or do you all enjoy being treated like convicts in prison, or animals in a zoo, watched 24/7/365? Stop being stupid, get rid of your smartphone.

    1. Re:Go back to non-smartphones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nobody would hire a dinosaur like that. You would be an unemployable anachronism.

    2. Re:Go back to non-smartphones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Do it now while you have at least a shred of your personal privacy left to you. Or do you all enjoy being treated like convicts in prison, or animals in a zoo, watched 24/7/365? Stop being stupid, get rid of your smartphone.

      I'll keep my smartphone and when I want privacy I will put the phone in a bag which is effectively a Faraday cage as well as a sound insulator.

      But thanks for the advice, you sad little paranoiac.

    3. Re: Go back to non-smartphones by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 2

      âoe I'll keep my smartphone and when I want privacy I will put the phone in a bag which is effectively a Faraday cage as well as a sound insulator.
      But thanks for the advice, you sad little paranoiac. âoe

      Pot, meet kettle.

    4. Re: Go back to non-smartphones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pot, meet kettle.

      I don't use the aforementioned bag except in cases where security IS critical, such as discussing sensitive details of an engineering project. You can think that's being paranoid, but in so doing you'd just be proving the limits of your knowledge. Industrial espionage is a very real thing, and just because you're too low on the food chain to ever be concerned about it doesn't mean it does not present a very real risk.

      captcha : laughed

      As in : I laughed at bottom-feeders like you who think their own experience defines all possibilities that exist in the world.

    5. Re:Go back to non-smartphones by TeknoHog · · Score: 1

      We need a new name for these mass surveillance devices, there's nothing "smart" about them. I'd also like another name for pocketable networked computers outside that sheepcosystem (like the N900 could have been). Then again, what did I expect after the age of where "personal" computing meant Windows...

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
    6. Re:Go back to non-smartphones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Friend, nobody ever said "who" they're "smart" for. :-) Just so happens they're smart for the wireless companies, greedy corporations, nosy governments, cybercriminals, and other ne'er-do-wells and not the people holding them. xD You and I, I think, are of an age, and we remember when a phone was just a phone, not a goddamned lifestyle choice. People may or may not come back around to that idea; we'll see. Personally, if a landline wasn't just as expensive as basic cellular service, I'd ditch the $50 plastic clamshell phone I've got and go back to POTS. But it's just as expensive.

    7. Re: Go back to non-smartphones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Disinformation trolls sure do love homophobic insults.

    8. Re: Go back to non-smartphones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And then he proceeds to upload the secrets to Cloud...

    9. Re:Go back to non-smartphones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hi, APK. How's that HOSTS file engine that people love as much as piss?

    10. Re:Go back to non-smartphones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I dunno what you were expecting for that out-of-left-field reference (which in and of itself is unintelligible), but all you're getting from me is a quizzical look on my face that you don't even get to see because it's got nothing to do with me and I don't even see what it's supposed to even mean. Are you drunk? I think you're drunk, go to bed, AC.

    11. Re: Go back to non-smartphones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I've never had anyone ask me in an interview what kind of goddamned phone I own..."

      It's on the application...they won't even try to interview you if you don't have a smartphone. And no that is not in retail you jackass...your reversal of US tropes reveals you are Russian.

    12. Re: Go back to non-smartphones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      your reversal of US tropes reveals you are Russian.

      Fucking russians again reeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    13. Re:Go back to non-smartphones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He pounced on "ne'er-do-well" under the mistaken assumption that the troll Alexander Peter Kowalski, of Syracuse, NY, USA, who spams Slashdot (and other sites, but not Ars Technica where he got permabanned some years ago) copiously and anonymously under the alias "APK", is the only person in the world who ever uses that word.

      If you've not yet encountered APK, then you're obviously *extremely* new around here. He's been a recurring nuisance here for at least 15 years now.

    14. Re: Go back to non-smartphones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're an idiot. If anyone knows that you do work on sensitive projects, you are telling them where and with whom the details are discussed.

  5. Well, I wasn't expecting . . . by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 4, Funny

    . . . the Spanish Soccer Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency....

    " Our chief weapon is mics... mics and GPS... GPS and mics.... Our two weapons are mics and GPS...and IP Addresses ...."

    --
    Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    1. Re:Well, I wasn't expecting . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If they have your mic and GPS they have your IP address of course as step 2. Really the distinction is stupid given how much control over the entire operation the Telcos have, they can just monitor you without acknowledging it.

      It kind of begs the question, why did they acknowledge it? There's no upside. Nobody would have any standing to say they were damaged by it unless xyz scandal ensued, in which case, they're double-fucked anyway.

    2. Re: Well, I wasn't expecting . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      because idiot culture abound

    3. Re:Well, I wasn't expecting . . . by mjwx · · Score: 1

      . . . the Spanish Soccer Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency....

      " Our chief weapon is mics... mics and GPS... GPS and mics.... Our two weapons are mics and GPS...and IP Addresses ...."

      And a complete inability to play football.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  6. Idiotic. by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

    You can't determine if someone is broadcasting something with a microphone. You can determine it using an RF receiver.

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
    1. Re:Idiotic. by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      you can pick up tell tails in a radio or tv broadcast audio, to determine for example if a bar has the game on tv

    2. Re:Idiotic. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You can't determine if someone is broadcasting something with a microphone. You can determine it using an RF receiver.

      WRONG.

      You obviously misunderstand the meaning of "broadcast" in the context of the article. In this case "broadcast" has nothing to do with transmission via radio frequencies. In this case "broadcast" refers to a televised sporting event being shown to the public via a screen in a local setting, such as the premises of a bar or restaurant.

      The company which owns the rights to the games which are televised wants to make sure that businesses do not show the games on the TVs which are on the premises of the business without having paid for the right to show the games.

    3. Re:Idiotic. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think so, have you ever been to Spain? 90% of what they do is shout GOAL and OLE, regardless of whether a game is on or not. The other 10% of the time I'm begging my wife's boyfriend to stop the horny creeps from hitting on her.

    4. Re:Idiotic. by ole_timer · · Score: 1

      a modern phone uses frequency skip keying, and the microphone bits are encoded (read the article) - I challenge you to identify one phone from another and then to identify encoded microphone bits among that. so no, you can't really see who's channeling their microphone.

      --
      nothing to see here - move along
    5. Re:Idiotic. by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      I've never heard anyone ever to refer to this as "broadcasting". Screening, perhaps.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    6. Re: Idiotic. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You beg your wife's boyfriend? Jesus Christ men have fallen behind in status in the modern age if this is what it has come to.

    7. Re:Idiotic. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If the game is shown on OTA TV there should be no additional rights required. If you have a paytv subscription, there should be no additional rights required. If you bough access to the game via on-demand payment, there should be no other rights required. In general, if you got the signal to your TV in a proper way, and your TV can decode it, there should be no additional rights required. There should be no difference whether there is a bored cat in front of the tv, a half drunk person a group of 100. One tv - one payment, unless it is free OTA.

    8. Re:Idiotic. by andymadigan · · Score: 2

      What if you charge a $10 (or 10 euro) "cover charge" on nights when games are being shown? What if the league has a payment tier for home users and a higher tier for bars that want to show their games?

      How about if the bar is streaming the game from a "pirate" site and isn't even paying what a normal cable subscriber would pay for access to the live game?

      Granted, I think it's absolutely ridiculous to expect people to spy for you, especially if you're burning their battery power to do it, but sports leagues can put whatever stupid restrictions they want on their broadcasts. Maybe they'll make it illegal to watch the games at all and rioting will be reduced.

      --
      The right to protest the State is more sacred than the State.
    9. Re:Idiotic. by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 4, Funny

      OLE

      FC Microsoft fans! Disgusting!

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    10. Re: Idiotic. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah but that is not how it works you see.

    11. Re:Idiotic. by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      my favorite is

      GOOOOOOOOOOOL!

      (without an 'a', 'cause that would be Inglés

    12. Re:Idiotic. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If the game is shown on OTA TV there should be no additional rights required.

      There also should be world peace and a pony for everyone.

    13. Re:Idiotic. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Rebroadcast of this program without the express written consent of the [NBA|NFL|MLB|MLH|etc] etc etc". You must never have watched a single sports game in your life. Which is understandable this being slashdot, but you also have never watched a single crime procedural drama including a court case or you'd be able to see broadcast means showing to others.

    14. Re:Idiotic. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There also should be world peace and a pony for everyone.

      But I don't want a pony!

    15. Re:Idiotic. by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      You must never have watched a single sports game in your life.

      I've been watching sports for decades. Just not in languages with ridiculous usages of words.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
  7. How about selling the collected data? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    La Liga's full statement with the "appropriate technical measures to protect the user's privacy" is embedded in Ars' report.

    Didn't say anything about collecting and selling the info later on?

  8. Is it just me by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    or is /. becoming an echo chamber for Arstechnica?

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
    1. Re:Is it just me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, its not you. Fucking phoning it in around here.

    2. Re:Is it just me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      I haven't noticed Ars being completely populated by right wing fail-sons, so that's a minor point of difference.

  9. as long as they willing to pay roaming fees! by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    as long as they willing to pay roaming fees!

    1. Re:as long as they willing to pay roaming fees! by houghi · · Score: 1

      What roaming fees? This is Europe. There are no roaming fees anymore. And if you are outside Europe and have data enabled, you are an idiot that needs to pay.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  10. Riiiiight...... by superdave80 · · Score: 1

    ...and that the app takes special precautions to prevent it from spying on end users. [La Liga's full statement with the "appropriate technical measures to protect the user's privacy" is embedded in Ars' report.]

    They can say 'protect user privacy' all they want. Behind office walls in their offices and meeting rooms, they can decide to do whatever the hell they want with these recordings.

  11. data? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They pay for your data plan then if they want upload stuff only for their own use, right?

    What the hell happens when a dozen apps behave this way, you wouldn't even get to use your phone it would be so busy interpreting everything going on around it and you would have no data to use anyway!

  12. Developer code of ethics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Invading peoples' privacy for commercial purposes is never okay. At some point, developers are going to have to recognize when they're being asked to do work like this and refuse to do it on ethical grounds. Then when they get fired, they A) can tell the whole world about what their previous employer is doing, and B) find a new job within days anyway because they're a fucking software developer in 2018.

  13. "Eyes"?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So if you don't agree, do you click "nose"??

  14. \o/ by easyTree · · Score: 1

    Because video of a bunch of people chasing a ball is such a valuable asset a fence must be thrown around it!

    --
    Requiem for the American Dream
    1. Re:\o/ by easyTree · · Score: 1

      You're using the term laughing stock to defend chasing a ball around? Okaaay.

      --
      Requiem for the American Dream
  15. "eyes" or should that be "ears" by Trogre · · Score: 1

    Stuff this corporate spying nonsense.

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  16. Google by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who The fuck would do business with them at this point?

  17. If you enjoy team sports... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Then you're always going to get cucked by capitalists. You may as well learn to enjoy the process. Let's face it, the homoerotic nature of male team sports hasn't exactly put you off them has it? Try a bit of personal honesty for a change.