Cox deletes ‘Active Listening’ ad pitch after boasting that it eavesdrops though our phones::undefined

    • piecat@lemmy.worldEnglish
      73·
      11 months ago

      Something that can be done easily and may be done in the future, if it hasn’t been discovered yet

      Clandestine methods have been known since the 2000s. We know they’re scummy and want our data. Why does this seem too crazy?

      • InFerNo@lemmy.mlEnglish
        51·
        11 months ago

        Because it would result in a scandal and it seems easily discoverable (by professional investigators/engineers). I don’t know. It’s likely done on a small, targeted, scale, but can’t imagine this rolled out on a large scale. Too little gain for the potential lashback, quite some factors need to be right, too.

      • willis936@lemmy.worldEnglish
        32·
        11 months ago

        The economics aren’t there. A cellular chip and a subscription will not pay for the private conversations of a random house.

        • piecat@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          11 months ago

          You could be right, but I’m not alleging they would use cell.

          Presumably the smart appliance already has wireless capabilities like WiFi/BLE. And then it’s just a software exercise on how to code an interface between devices of the same manufacturer.