Is your smartphone listening to you? - BBC News
An interesting article on BBC world news on how one can write an app to listen to your conversations on and near the phone.
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Is your smartphone listening to you? - BBC News
An interesting article on BBC world news on how one can write an app to listen to your conversations on and near the phone.
They can write it... but can they can't make you install it?
That's easy. There are a lot of apps, like the phone app, or blackberry assistant, or Google services, or BBM or webex or whatsapp or Skype that require access to your microphone.
The same goes for video recording with apps which legitimately require access to your camera.
well the front picture of that video saying it all... LOL...
ANDROID... LOL...
Blackberry got a "AppManager" which does not exist with "Google we want to know all of you" Android... any questions?
Posted either via -Passport SQW100-1 or -Classic SQC100-1 / 10.3.++
That's something nice about DTek on the Priv. You can set it up to immediately notify you about any access to your microphone (or camera, or location, etc, etc). You can then delete the offending app.
I would hope so, but it does not check Google and BlackBerry apps.
Based on their example, the most common application of this eavesdropping scheme are targeted ads.
That falls nicely under Google's area of expertise and business focus.
Eventually, don't you want most apps to accept voice commands like navigation, messaging, search, email, etc? It will have to be listening to you then.
I for one have never activated voice commands, also for this reason.
I know your feelings about Google. No need to rehash another debate here though. Lol
But specifically with reference to this article, I think this is relevant:
"Google said it "categorically" does not use what it calls "utterances" - the background sounds before a person says, "OK Google" to activate the voice recognition - for advertising or any other purpose. It also said it does not share audio acquired in that way with third parties.
Its listening abilities only extend to activating its voice services, a spokesperson said.
It also states in its content policy for app developers, that apps must not collect information without the user's knowledge. Apps found to be breaking this are removed from the Google Play store."
So in this respect, with reference to this article, DTek should be sufficient.
So make sure you read the EULA, right?
DTek warns me about 3rd party apps anyway.
Read this recently, seems relevant:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2...tablet-and-pc/
I know you have my number, but you gave me the chance to bring up Google ;-)
By the way, since your voice is stored in Google cloud or apple icloud if you use voice commands, now you know it's out there to be shared with everyone who has the authority to ask for it, unencrypted, or easily to be decrypted.
Yes. I would imagine they treat voice requests much the same way as typed requests.
Notification is only somewhat helpful. The real power is the power to block access to apps and that is offered Blackphone, BB10, and Windows phone only. That is why the privacy aspect of the Priv is a bit of a joke.
Fine. But I think notification is plenty good for most threats (certainly this one). Plus, Marshmallow is in carrier testing right now and will be released shortly.
The App Manager is great, but it's pretty useless when you install Android apps which don't allow you to modify their permission.
You shouldn't install android apps. That's what the thread is about if you want privacy and security.