Beware the eye behind the eye!
When they’re not busy trying to overturn the 2016 election, the FBI occasionally likes to try its hand at protecting us from other criminals.
So the FBI is warning consumers that the shiny new “smart TV” they buy will very likely wind up spying on them (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF5heG1pi90). Well, we’ve told you to steer clear of anything that’s pitched to you as “smart,” haven’t we?
According to the FBI, TV manufacturers and app developers can use built-in cameras to spy on consumers. Why would they want to do that? Probably so they can sell information about you to advertisers. Hackers can also get into the system and use your TV to spy on you. And they’ll do worse than sell you to advertisers.
Says the FBI,. “At the low end of the risk spectrum, they can change channels, play with the volume, and show your kids inappropriate videos. In a worst-case scenario, they can turn on your bedroom’s TV camera and microphone and silently cyberstalk you.”
Among suggested means of protecting yourself is to stick a piece of black tape over the camera eye. I do like those low-tech solutions to hi-tech problems.
Ultimately, just because it’s the kind of thing that always happens, this technology will be used by power-hungry sharks in government to find out whether you’ve been naughty or nice. It’ll be very helpful to them in carrying out a “fundamental transformation” of America.
A small price to pay for Entertainment, though…
Thanks for reporting this, I’ll bet more and worse things are actually happening! Btw, I don’t have a ‘smart TV’ but tell me anyway – what does that ‘camera eye’ look like, where is it located?
I don’t have one, either. You should be able to look it up. I might not know what it is when I see it.
This might help you. Thing is, just don’t connect the Smart TV to your ethernet or your wi-fi. I have just parroted several things I know nothing about.
Edward Snowden alerted us to all of this years ago. While working for the CIA intelligence department he could hack into anyone’s computer and watch them, read their emails and know everything they had Googled, etc. The same with smart phones, even if turned off. All our phone calls are archived in the computers in Utah. I remember when I first read “1984,” I couldn’t believe anyone would let the gov’t put a monitor in their house. Today, we pay for the privilege.