Samsung: Our Smart TVs Do Not Monitor Living Room Conversations

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In a blog post today, Samsung stated that its smart TVs do not monitor living room conversations and has since changed the language in its privacy policy.

The first is through an embedded microphone inside the TV set that responds to simple predetermined TV commands such as changing the channel and increasing the volume. Voice data is neither stored nor transmitted in using these predetermined commands.

The second microphone, which is inside the remote control, requires interaction with a server because it is used for searching content. A user, for example, can speak into the remote control requesting the search of particular TV programs (ex: “Recommend a good Sci-Fi movie”). This interaction works like most any other voice recognition service available on other products including smartphones and tablets.
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Suuuuure they don't. Typical corporate damage control. It's too late now that the cat is out of the bag.
 
All they did was clarify that the TV doesn't send verbal information off site. Instead, it is the remote that does the spying and sending information off site.
 
Everything said in the living room is transmitted over the internet to them.
Otherwise how is their server going to know when you make a command?

Huge invasion of privacy no matter how they spin it.
 
All my TV is going to hear are things like "Look at the fun bags on that one" and "I'd hit it." I'm not sure anyone will find that useful.
 
Dan_D said:
All my TV is going to hear are things like "Look at the fun bags on that one" and "I'd hit it." I'm not sure anyone will find that useful.
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You'd be surprised. Porn is a very lucrative business. So, you just might not want to have your family watching on that Samsung TV, at least not with advertising.
 
Simple solution..try using the remote control buttons. It's worked pretty damn well for decades and quite honestly is still faster and easier then voice commands. The added perk? Button presses don't get spy on you. I really don't understand what people's fascination with voice commands is. Is pushing a button really that damn hard? Are people seriously that fking lazy?
 
Dan_D said:
All my TV is going to hear are things like "Look at the fun bags on that one" and "I'd hit it." I'm not sure anyone will find that useful.
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The idea that a device with video and sound recording has to be something that a consumer can rely on not transmitting anything for that matter.

That Samsung is sloppy and cares little for the whole privacy situation is why they use EULA to begin with..
 
Dekoth-E- said:
Simple solution..try using the remote control buttons. It's worked pretty damn well for decades and quite honestly is still faster and easier then voice commands. The added perk? Button presses don't get spy on you. I really don't understand what people's fascination with voice commands is. Is pushing a button really that damn hard? Are people seriously that fking lazy?
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Do you get a choice or do you have to unplug the TV from the internet to prevent voice data being sent?

If you get a choice in the options and it is verified to no longer send data, then its easily resolved.
If there is no choice or it still sends data, then it doesnt matter if you are lazy or not.
 
Nenu said:
Do you get a choice or do you have to unplug the TV from the internet to prevent voice data being sent?

If you get a choice in the options and it is verified to no longer send data, then its easily resolved.
If there is no choice or it still sends data, then it doesnt matter if you are lazy or not.
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If you really wanted you can block nearly everything in your router if it really concerned you that much.
 
Pieter3dnow said:
If you really wanted you can block nearly everything in your router if it really concerned you that much.
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While I doubt it does, it's certainly possible for companies in the future to have their own private network setups to send out information in the future with or without your network. At that point, short of being in a Faraday Cage, you'll be screwed when it comes to privacy.
 
Notice how they specifically don't say that the voice data transmitted from the remote *isn't* stored indefinitely?
 
give users complete control of the hardware they purchased iot is going to really fucking stupid before people realize i purchased this to a simple task not to be spied on
 
Dan_D said:
All my TV is going to hear are things like "Look at the fun bags on that one" and "I'd hit it." I'm not sure anyone will find that useful.
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Hello Dan_D;

My name is Dong B. Long. I'm currently the CTO of DongCo Digital Entertainment. We'd be verrrry interested in knowing specifically what you would "hit" and whose "fun bags" you find most appealing. If you could be more verbose whilst using your Samsung® Smart® TV with your descriptions including race, approximate height, weight and distinguishing features we would appreciate it.

Sincerely;
D. B. Longer
 
Nytegard said:
While I doubt it does, it's certainly possible for companies in the future to have their own private network setups to send out information in the future with or without your network. At that point, short of being in a Faraday Cage, you'll be screwed when it comes to privacy.
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That is my guess of how most of these things will eventually function. Basically government reserved frequencies on the cellular network. All devices that spy on people will be granted access.

It's going to get to a point where anything you buy you will need to fully analyse for any "bugs" and disable them. At least until the point they make it illegal to do so and add tamper devices. I could see it happen with today's autocratic governments.
 
cyzzledyzzle said:
Hello Dan_D;

My name is Dong B. Long. I'm currently the CTO of DongCo Digital Entertainment. We'd be verrrry interested in knowing specifically what you would "hit" and whose "fun bags" you find most appealing. If you could be more verbose whilst using your Samsung® Smart® TV with your descriptions including race, approximate height, weight and distinguishing features we would appreciate it.

Sincerely;
D. B. Longer
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D.B. Longer,

Can Samsung tablets not be used in conjunction with your smart TVs? If so, it would be easier to just draw a simple sketch to describe subject, form, and size of what is 'hittable' and what it not. All this in the hope it could maximize the enjoyment of Samsung induced fun.

Thank you.

A Samsung Note 10.1 2014 owner
 
Nytegard said:
While I doubt it does, it's certainly possible for companies in the future to have their own private network setups to send out information in the future with or without your network. At that point, short of being in a Faraday Cage, you'll be screwed when it comes to privacy.
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You mean their own private network over tcp/ip stack ;)
 
Pieter3dnow said:
The idea that a device with video and sound recording has to be something that a consumer can rely on not transmitting anything for that matter.

That Samsung is sloppy and cares little for the whole privacy situation is why they use EULA to begin with..
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Samsung uses an EULA because software isn't usually sold to users anymore, users pay for a license to operate/use the software and Companies want to protect their rights to the software from infringement and protects their products and the reputation of their products from misuse of there software. These are valid and legal reasons for a Company to use a EULA in regards to products that have software. If a EULA serves an additional purpose then perhaps that is worth talking about, but the basic reason for a EULA doesn't have anything at all to do with your privacy.
 
Red Squirrel said:
Yep.

And properly implimented voice activation should not even have to leave your network. There's absolutely zero reason for this.
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Devil's Advocate here. Samsung claims it's for content search functionality. Since there are new titles available on different services almost daily, how are all those titles going to be recognized by your TV unless you're TV has to download a complete listing from every service you use or maybe from every service period. Is that efficient from a network point of view, to have to transmit all that data to all those TVs? If your TV is going to supply content to you from off-site and if Samsung is going to offer voice recog to facilitate it, how would you do it in a manner that doesn't have the user sending his request to the supplier?
 
Red Squirrel said:
Yep.

And properly implimented voice activation should not even have to leave your network. There's absolutely zero reason for this.
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This isn't anything new. It's easier to do voice processing server-side than it is client side.
 
I wonder how their sales of Smart TV's have been affected by this whole eavesdropping and inserted streaming ads debacle. I personally hope it trashes them so much that their competitors (I'm looking at you LG, Panasonic and Sharp) avoid making similar mistakes with consumers.

Side note, I own a LED H7150 60" and went as far as to:
- Disable firmware updates
- Open the TV and disconnect the microphone
- Disable wi-fi so it only works wired
- Configure my gateway with ad-block to filter/block all advertising networks

Wasn't a tinfoil hat thing, it was purely for the purpose of having control over my own devices.
 
Pay no attention to that little red light on top of your HDTV, for I am the great and powerful OZ!!!!
 
c0mad0r said:
I wonder how their sales of Smart TV's have been affected by this whole eavesdropping and inserted streaming ads debacle. I personally hope it trashes them so much that their competitors (I'm looking at you LG, Panasonic and Sharp) avoid making similar mistakes with consumers.

Side note, I own a LED H7150 60" and went as far as to:
- Disable firmware updates
- Open the TV and disconnect the microphone
- Disable wi-fi so it only works wired
- Configure my gateway with ad-block to filter/block all advertising networks

Wasn't a tinfoil hat thing, it was purely for the purpose of having control over my own devices.
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I literally bought one on Sunday before hearing about this. I would have thought twice about it had I known.
 
Dan_D said:
I literally bought one on Sunday before hearing about this. I would have thought twice about it had I known.
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If you bought it at Costco, you can still return it. Not sure about other store policies, but it would not hurt to check. You have 7 days right to return at several places. The TV is nice and all... I got mine at Christmas and do like the Smart interface, but I still have my reservations about Samsung's current practices and would not have bought it had I known the same things.
 
Pieter3dnow said:
You mean their own private network over tcp/ip stack ;)
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Pieter, the US Military operates several distinctly separate networks. They have absolutely no common physical connection with the Internet at all. They don't even use the same Satellites. They are, in point of fact, Private.

Enjoy your lunch, chew carefully, don't choke on your words.
 
c0mad0r said:
If you bought it at Costco, you can still return it. Not sure about other store policies, but it would not hurt to check. You have 7 days right to return at several places. The TV is nice and all... I got mine at Christmas and do like the Smart interface, but I still have my reservations about Samsung's current practices and would not have bought it had I known the same things.
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Don't sweat it, disable voice recog if you wish and if you are really worried take the batteries out of the remote and go buy a universal remote :D
 
lcpiper said:
Devil's Advocate here. Samsung claims it's for content search functionality. Since there are new titles available on different services almost daily, how are all those titles going to be recognized by your TV unless you're TV has to download a complete listing from every service you use or maybe from every service period. Is that efficient from a network point of view, to have to transmit all that data to all those TVs? If your TV is going to supply content to you from off-site and if Samsung is going to offer voice recog to facilitate it, how would you do it in a manner that doesn't have the user sending his request to the supplier?
Click to expand...

Well that's different, if you tell it to search for something then it has to search online, but your voice or anything else you said should not be part of that transmission. The TV simply converts what you said into a word and sends it in text, like any other search feature would work. The voice recognition is simply another input device like the remote.

It seems the trend now is to send everything to the cloud even if there's no reason to. Lot of home automation stuff does the same thing.
 
I always assumed every "smart" gadget is doing this. People can check off or whatever but all that would do is make you feel better, it won't stop the feature.

Still, people think they spyphones don't smart on them all the time... people are so naive.
 
Yeah smartphones are another big one. I really wish there was more alternatives, open hardware and open software. I imagine Blackberry is probably the safest bet but we don't know from one day to the other if that company is still going to be around and you can't really get much apps for them. There was the Openmoko at one point but don't think that gets updated anymore.

The industry now days is all about trying to make us want stuff, so they can use these things to deliver spy bugs into our lives. They probably make more money through the govermnent payoffs than they make through the sales of these items.
 
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