Snart ser TV:n på dig, när du ser på TV - Digital-TV-boxar utrustas med kameror och mikrofoner

2013-06-17 The Washington Times
En ny spännande teknologi inom TV-branschen är på väg att introduceras på marknaden i USA. - Gör dig beredd för TV:n som tittar på dig...

Den  nya tekniken gör det möjligt för bolag som sysslar med kabel-TV och betal-TV att installera kameror och mikrofoner i sina digitala hyr-boxar för att kunna titta direkt in i kundernas hem. Detta för att observera och analysera hur TV-tittarna reagerar på de olika programmen.
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Efter att TV-bolaget analyserat tittarens reaktion i "realtime" så kan t.ex. lämplig reklam eller information visas, som är personligt anpassad efter tittarens tidigare reaktioner.

Tekniken gör det också möjligt för TV-bolagen att observera när kunderna äter, sover, motionerar, läser, har sex eller utför andra nöjen. Sen kan kunderna få trevlig personligt anpassad reklam eller information, beroende på hur de har utfört sina tidigare aktiviteter.
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http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/17/big-brother-alert-cameras-cable-box-monitor-tv-vie/
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Big Brother Alert: Cameras in the Cable Box to Monitor TV Viewers

Publicerad den 19 juni 2013

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Mass. Democratic Rep. Michael Capuano has introduced a bill, the We Are Watching You Act, to prohibit the technology on boxes and collection of information absent consumer permission. The bill would also require companies that do use the data to show “we are watching you” messages on the screen and to explain just what kinds of information is being captured and for what reasons, AdWeek reported.

The technology includes cameras and microphones that are installed on DVRs or cable boxes and analyzes viewers’ responses, behaviors and statements to various ads — and then provides advertisements that are targeted to the particular household.

Specifically, the technology can monitor sleeping, eating, exercising, reading and more, AdWeek reported.
“This may sound preposterous, but it’s neither a joke nor an exaggeration,” said Mr. Capuano in a statement, AdWeek reported. “These DVRs would essentially observe consumers as they watch television as a way to super-target ads. It is an incredible invasion of privacy.”

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/17/big-brother-alert-cameras-cable-box-monitor-tv-vie/#ixzz2WoiLpujY

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http://www.infowars.com/big-brother-alert-cameras-in-the-cable-box-to-monitor-tv-viewers/

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“Watching the watchers” is taking on a whole new meaning.

2013-07-26 International Business Times
News that Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) may be developing a television set-top box with a motion sensor and video camera has rekindled the debate over technology that can record so-called ambient action.
Should a TV-mounted box have the ability to track our movements, record our voices and monitor our behaviors? Should cable providers and tech companies be allowed to collect such information without our consent?

Lawmakers and privacy advocates are asking such questions as companies continue to experiment with data collection that will extend beyond our gadgets and into our living rooms and bedrooms. On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Google privately showed off a prototype device at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last January. The company is one of many tech players looking to compete with pay-TV providers, who themselves have been exploring new ways to capture information about viewers’ behavior.

In November, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) filed a patent application for a set-top box that delivers advertisements based on users’ behaviors. For instance, two people cuddling on sofa watching TV might see a commercial for a romantic Disney cruise, while an arguing couple might see a pitch for couples’ therapy. The device would use a combination of motion and audio sensors to collect information about what viewers are doing as they watch TV.

Creeped out yet? You’re not alone. News of Verizon’s plans brought countless headlines about the potential for Orwellian cable boxes and digital video recorders, spying on us during our most intimate moments. And legislators have been quick to respond. Last month, two U.S. congressmen, a Democrat and a Republican, introduced a bill that would require such devices to be opt-in, meaning consumers would have to grant explicit consent before companies could collect data on ambient action. The bill -- dubbed the “We Are Watching You Act of 2013” -- would also require that devices flash on-screen warnings whenever they are recording such information.

Reps. Michael E. Capuano, D-Mass., and Walter Jones, R-N.C., who sponsored the bill, called such technology an “invasion of privacy.” In a statement, Jones even acknowledged the data collected through such devices could be potentially abused by the government itself. “When the government has an unfortunate history of secretly collecting private citizens’ information from technology providers, we must ensure that safeguards are in place to protect Americans’ rights,” he said.

The extent to which Google’s set-top box would collect ambient information is unclear. In its report, the Journal cited only “people briefed on the device,” and a Google representative has not yet responded to a request for more information. However, the company has reportedly been experimenting with such technology for several years. As Gizmodo reported in 2007, Google filed for a patent for an interactive TV that would include an image-capture device capable of measuring “how many viewers are watching or listening to a broadcast.”

And Google and Verizon are by no means lone players. In November, the Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) also filed a patent application for a system that would use its Kinect camera to monitor users’ behavior. Kinect will come attached to Microsoft’s forthcoming Xbox One game consoles. Its always-on sensors can read body behavior, track eye movements and listen for commands. It even knows how many people are in the room. As Polygon reported, the device has raised numerous concerns among privacy advocates, particularly in light of Microsoft’s reported compliance with the National Security Agency’s PRISM program.

If it makes you feel any better, Microsoft has vowed to “aggressively challenge” any government attempt to spy on its customers using Kinect sensors. “Absent a new law, we don’t believe the government has the legal authority to compel us or any other company that makes products with cameras and microphones to start collecting voice and video data,” a company representative told the Verge this month.
If that doesn’t allay your fears, you can visit Microsoft’s Xbox One privacy page.
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http://www.ibtimes.com/your-cable-box-spying-you-behavior-detecting-devices-verizon-microsoft-others-worry-privacy-1361587

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http://money.cnn.com/2013/08/01/technology/security/tv-hack/index.html



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Mainstream Media Finally Admits Televisions Can Spy On You

- Home tech capable of surveillance has been in use for years.

Infowars.com
August 2, 2013

In the wake of alternative media, mainstream outlets are now finally admitting that ‘smart’ televisions available to the public are capable of spying on its viewers.

A CNN article published yesterday entitled Your TV might be watching you says:

- The flaws in Samsung Smart TVs, which have now been patched, enabled hackers to remotely turn on the TVs’ built-in cameras without leaving any trace of it on the screen. While you’re watching TV, a hacker anywhere around the world could have been watching you. Hackers also could have easily rerouted an unsuspecting user to a malicious website to steal bank account information.

We reported on this television’s spy capabilities back in 2012 and this isn’t an isolated incident.
Earlier in 2011, we reported that Microsoft developed a camera that can track how many people are in a room.

The camera, similar the ones found in the Xbox Kinect, was aptly named the “consumer detector.”
Years earlier in 2006, we published an article on how Google planned to use microphones embedded in personal computers to listen in on people’s activities in order to direct targeted advertisements towards them.
Even when you leave your house you’re still under surveillance.

Back in 2011 we revealed that major U.S. cities are installing high-tech street lights with a “myriad of homeland security features.”

“Streetlight processors can store and analyze data including soundtracks, announcements, commercials, and video files,” the SmartSite press release stated. “SmartSite luminaries can be equipped with a variety of cameras and sensors to ensure real-time 24/7-security coverage.”

“The sensors detect a variety of threats that enable rapid response from emergency personnel or help prevent crime and gain control of the streets.”
It isn’t just street lights, either.

Ceiling lights installed in St. Cloud, Minn. city offices are even capable of sending coded Internet data.
We also reported that many smartphone apps use your phone’s internal microphone to listen to you automatically.

All of these articles showcase the continued trend of documented surveillance that has been going on for years.

High-tech devices marketed for commercial use are ushering in a new era of total surveillance bondage.


http://www.infowars.com/mainstream-media-finally-admits-televisions-can-spy-on-you/
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Snart ser TV:n på dig, när du ser på TV - Digital-TV-boxar utrustas med kameror och mikrofoner