Like, we all know they’re listening , but can we provide proof?
My friend was complaining about all the new super surveillance that will be government required in cars after 2027, and I said to him dude you have a stock android, you use every AI slop feature, you use a smart TV on your unsecured network, and uses x every day. They have everything they could possibly need on him. Oh and he posts questionable things to fb daily under his real name.
don’t need any such “proof”. the whole industry has lost any and all benefit-of-doubt privileges, for ever. they don’t get an opportunity to gain a foothold in mi casa and possibly be in a position to do harm.
I don’t get the idea that after all the shit they pulled someone’s like “well maybe this new thing’s nice”.
those are immoral people with zero compunctions about doing anything that hurts you, your community, and humanity as a whole. we are in an adversarial position and you’d do well to remind yourself of that constantly.
Puedo yo poner in foothold en tu casa?
the English would be un pie, and you can drop the yo :)
Oh, no the preocupes, el uso de foothold aquí fue una elección artística
don’t need any such “proof”
I’m gonna stop you there. I’m okay with no benefit of the doubt in terms of them being bad actors, but your worldview still has to be built at the bones and joints out of things known to be true otherwise there’s no stopping you from believing every conspiracy with no guard rails.
I don’t think there’s yet a specific smoking gun on this front, but I think once there is, then it is okay to presume it likely happening in other instances. But no smoking gun just yet.
you’re ignoring the important part - who that’s coming from.
analyzing a new shit-sandwich from the shit-sandwich-shop to determine “does this one have shit in it” is a valid academic endeavor, but hardly something you’d spend one second of your life pondering.
I don’t get the idea that after all the shit they pulled someone’s like “well maybe this new thing’s nice”.
I look at my friends who do this even though I advize them not to. For them, data is invisible and out of sight, out of mind. Their TV is a consumer device like IDK a toaster or washing machien. They put it online with no real thought to data or privacy. From their perspective this is normal. Their neighbors all do it with their TVs. Their friends all do it! I am the only one who makes a warning to them. Everyone else they know does it. Who wouldn’t want a “smart” TV???
They don’t understand tech very well and they feel like what they see most people doing must be good. They are not thinking about the eroding effect on their whole society from normalizing dragnet surveillance and total privacy loss. It’s too abstract, and the allure of the shiny is too much.
Same here. im the crazy one because I dont want zucc listening to me in my home. I can’t stand normies dude. Brainwashed.
You could take extreme measures like Louis Rossmann has said he does to his phones.
He said he disassembles his phones and desolders and removes all the microphones. He said if he wants to make or receive a call, he’ll use his Bluetooth headset or earpiece.
I don’t see why the same can’t also be feasible for televisions either, aside from how difficult they can be to properly disassemble and service.
I mean graphene would be easier for phones.
Theoretically if you never hook a smart TV to the net it shouldn’t be able to spy. I’m sure they do tho
Theoretically if you never hook a smart TV to the net it shouldn’t be able to spy.
I think you are right (today!), but look what happens with cars… the car connects to a wireless network without asking you, to send back telemetry. The cost of doing that is coming down all the time, and there is a big juicy profit stream just waiting to be harvested. I will not be surprised if we see TVs do this eventually, like cars do already.
They could also be designed to simply refuse to function if they can’t connect. I didn’t hear about any like this so far, but it feels like a matter of time. Enshittification comes for everything.
Graphene is still only for Pixel phones right now isn’t it? I heard something about them working to expand out to other model phones eventually, wonder how that’s going and how many more devices it’ll eventually support? 🤔
Only pixel yes and google is working hard to kill it.
They announced last week their partnership is with Motorola. I’ll keep using my pixel and see what they roll out and let them work the bugs out of it for a bit first.
if he wants to make or receive a call, he’ll use his Bluetooth headset or earpiece.
Oh boy he should not look up how insecure Bluetooth is then
Eh, it entirely depends on your threat model. If you’re trying to protect against mass surveillance, it makes sense because you’ll only sometimes have a functional microphone powered on. If you’re trying to protect against a targeted attack against you specifically, then yeah Bluetooth had some problems. You have bigger issues at that point, though. I also think Bluetooth is probably more secure than you think.
If you’re worried about the guy 10 m away from you eavesdropping, BT is not a great option. If you’re worried about the hackers on the other side of the planet, BT should be fine.
No electronic device is secure.
Snowden says he does the same thing.
Technically you can do the same for your TV since the mic is probably in the remote. But that’s not the TVs worst threat. The constant snapshots of your screen no matter what is displayed is the bigger deal. That is a software issue and not being disconnected without an entire custom firmware/OS approach.
Where do you get this information that the microphone is in the remote? That’s about the dumbest shit I’ve heard all year, unless your remote is now Bluetooth or something.
Infrared remotes are output light flashes only, and only work when you point them in the general direction of the television.
Now if I’m mistaken about the most modern ‘smart’ televisions, well just let me know, with reference. Because I’m an infrared hacker, and Hisense and Roku televisions still give to my infrared hacks, output signals only.
Umm, because my Hisense remote has the mic button and a little hole for the mic to collect sound. Which makes sense when a person wants to speak and be heard and have the mic a foot from their mouth vs 6 feet across the room. But I guess your TV is different and listens with infrared.
Umm, then we must have a pre-spyware HiSense/Roku, no microphones to be found here, none that I know of anyways.
Also, no WiFi connection either, so…
Sir, it’s the year 2026.
Regarding TVs, WikiLeaks’ Vault 7 publication in 2017 included “Weeping Angel”, CIA malware for Samsung TVs which streams audio from them while they’re in “fake off” mode.
https://mashable.com/article/cia-samsung-tv-hack-weeping-angel
The thing I find so funny about all of this is that people would rather believe that their phone is spying on them with the Mic that there is no proof of. Then what is more likely the truth you are not as unique as you think you are and they have so much data on you they have no reason to spy on what you say because they know you better then you know yourself (we lie to ourselves).
But yes it is easier for people to believe the mic is spying on them because thy can’t or won’t accept the more likely option.Thank you. Had to scroll way too far to read this. People on here are not as technical as I thought.
Apparently the lie I craft for myself is so good it went to medical school because I’ve been getting spam addressed to Dr Me asking about my oncology clinic for years
Found the sane comment. What we know for sure is that a combination of browser fingerprinting, de-anonymization (you can take anonymized hashed emails and compare them to hashes of known emails), and the third party broker marketplace that they can predict things with disturbing specificity like pregnancy, and obesity, to hidden patterns you might not even realize are in the data.
Plus there’s enough statistically informed shots in the dark that drive specific ads that, sometimes, they strike with perfect resonance. That’s enough to explain uncanny similarity. And the microphone listening thing is still plausible, but without stone cold proof it’s just a guess, and it overestimates how much data they need to be able to track you and sell you shit.
Think of something you’ve never mentioned or discussed before, then out of nowhere, start having a conversation with a friend about it, how much you like it and are thinking about getting it, taking lessons etc then see what happens over the next week on either your or your friend’s ads (turn off ad blocker if you use one).
I recommend something completely unusual for most people like an instrument (didgeridoo or cowbell)
I saw proof one day. I was visiting a welding shop on business, never been there before, didn’t know them. At some point, I’m sitting in the office with about five guys, distracting them from their work, yakking, and I mention a big piece of gear I have to haul around using a cart. One suggests a different kind of cart, and describes it. As we’re talking, one of the other guys gasps, and holds his phone up to show the boss.
While we were talking, this guy opened his phone, and the first ad that popped up was for that odd, obscure equipment cart that we had just been talking about.
It turned out that these guys had been discussing this subject earlier, and now it was confirmed for all of us.
The fun part is that they dnt even need to listen for this. They track everything you search, link it to your phones ip, number, and location. But it doesnt stop there. They know people will talk to the people they are around.
So if person A searches something 2 days ago and then goes to hang out with person B who has similar interests, they will serve ads about those products to person B because they figure it will be relevant at some point. Basically, the prediction software is so good that it comes off as listening to every word you said.
They are def also listening, but this is more often what is happening. Use a vpn and privacy focused browser and you will notice the relevance of ads drop significantly
What ads? My browser blocks ads. My vpn blocks ads. I pay for email so don’t see ads there. I pay for search so I don’t see ads there, either. I self host media. My TV doesn’t connect to the internet.
I seriously never see ads.
👍 Well done there. Using Brave, DDG, Ecosia and Firefox. Got Mulvad, got Tuta. Pay for search? Who with? Moving towards self hosting. Just ditched internet on my TV.
I pay for Kagi search.
Thanks for getting back.👍
Yes. This suggestion is for folks that are tired of constant ads. Not folks that are already doing what i just suggested lol
The one that did it for me - I was in the car with my wife and a friend. We were driving down the highway and talking about the clouds we saw. And I said “I wander what kind of clouds those are. Like cumulus? Alto?”
The I take out my phone and type “types of” and the first auto-fill option that came up was “types of cloud” and I was like “there’s no fucking way that just happens to be the highest suggested search prompt”
It won’t be long before we’ll be getting into sexy time with the spouse, and the phone on the nightstand dings with a notification. You pause to check it, and it’s an ad for a new sex lube!
Many years ago this one was done https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBnDWSvaQ1I
And the explanation behind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv8gvXPwWjY&t=0
So this proves it. Then his second video was made because the MIB came to his door. Got it.
They’re absolutely listening.
Every device made to receive voice commands (Smart TVs, Amazon Echo) WILL listen to everything you say.
And if they provide a button or setting to turn that off you are relying on trusting them to comply with it (I don’t think they do and even if they are found doing it they will probably pay a minuscule fine for it)
It’s not logically sound, but at this point the burden of proof needs to be on Big Tech if they want to claim they’re not spying. Otherwise we’d have to prove it for each individual model, and that isn’t feasible, and only supports the opposition.
The very notion of proof implies that you can reproduce it. So I would suggest you forget what anybody here or elsewhere said. Instead, you :
- get a cheap phone (so typically Android)
- reset/format/flash it to a blank state
- make a new testing account on it
- use for random browsing, using app, etc and you log your history, namely what did you actually do AND what ads you actually see
- test for something outside of your new habits with a search query, then log and compare again, seeing the threshold to change
- repeat the last step for something said using e.g. a voice assistant, log&compare
- repeat WITHOUT explicit search, log&compare
Yes this takes a of time but that will help you make YOUR own opinion on the matter if you genuinely care.
How has no one done exactly this???
Or try this. Start saying something nefarious involving government near your phone every day and see how long it takes you to fall out a 12th story window.
The manufacturers tell you.
And they even make you click the “I have read and understood this” button under the document that explicitly states that they’re spying on you and selling all your data.
Wait. Government required in cars?
Yep 2027 head and eye tracking with llms that dictate if you’re tired.
That’s fucking hilarious. I am tired if I’m breathing. Guess I’m getting a disability check soon.
Link?
One of many,
https://www.gadgetreview.com/federal-surveillance-tech-becomes-mandatory-in-new-cars-by-2027
"The tech involves infrared cameras mounted on steering columns or A-pillars, tracking eye movement, pupil dilation, and drowsiness patterns. Unlike the breathalyzer ignition interlocks from DUI convictions, these systems operate passively—no blowing required. Your car simply watches and decides whether you’re fit to drive.
If the AI determines you’re impaired (blood alcohol ≥0.08% or showing fatigue), it can prevent ignition startup or limit vehicle speed. Think Minority Report, but for your morning commute."
Not that new cars aren’t already tracked every moment and government controlled, they are. This is just a worse version of it.
And fuck me not even here did I see or any of my automotive adjacent family had mentioned or knew of this. Fuck thats grim
Pre-tech, God and/or your conscience was always watching and listening. Now others are watching and listening too.
AFAIK this is the only evidence: a claim by a marketing company that they’re actually doing it. However, they have some reason to lie about this, bc it makes them sound all-knowing and powerful to their clients.
https://www.404media.co/cmg-cox-media-actually-listening-to-phones-smartspeakers-for-ads-marketing/
It is not the only evidence, as you say, but it is particularly good evidence.
