That Game on Your Phone May Be Tracking What You’re Watching on TV

Why don’t we handle this the old free market way? Our information belongs to us. It is being stolen by apps, websites and devices who do not make it clear that 1) they collect our data (yes it’s in the small print but for true informed consent, ask people when they first open the app ) but don’t make it clear they do it or 2) what they do with it and how they profit by it. Since our information is valuable, they should pay us for its use. people can opt out but won’t receive money for its use. Consumers can decide who they want their information sold to. Consumers-might not sell their information to companies with poor security. For information sold in the past, consumers could ask for information to be deleted and be compensated for previous use of data.It might lead to facebook not being free but some of us would prefer that to the invasion of privacy and manipulation that occurs. This would also be a way of handling situations like equifax. We should decide which companies are responsible enough to store our data. We could then refuse our data be stored in untrustworthy sites. Equifax’s data breach only offers 1 year of monitoring while face a lifetime of potential of identity theft. This would mean in the cassock credit bureaus that banks would have to check all 3 and worry about pleasing us not just people who pay them. The only legal change is letting people is letting people own their own information. The market will take care of the rest.

90% of people don't know how to use the settings on their phones beyond the most trivial usage. This is what the tech spies are counting on. The tech cognoscenti are not the target audience of these industrial spies. A class action lawsuit is what's needed to impede such nefarious behavior.

Billions of dollars of profit from surveillance of how people spend their money is wasted on fabulous projects, basically repeating the triumphs of government from the past like putting commercial stuff in orbit, going to the moon and mars, or automating cars and putting people out of work. Its a bad, bad joke. How often do you have to upgrade the software on your computer? Driving without human input is potentially more complex than an OS. The sensors cars depend on are mechanical devices vulnerable to bad weather, dust, dirt and other factors that reduce their capacity. Who is responsible for an accident caused by dirty sensors? Oh, and the cars are hackable. It looks like a vulnerable and very costly form of Taxi service that will double traffic and energy usage. All the surveillance will end up benefitting the biggest player: the state, which is more and more corporate, and less and less responsive to ordinary citizens. We need to wake up.

I was about to comment "always look at each individual permission and make sure they make sense in the context of how the app is used", but this one literally says up front that they're going to record you for data collection. People should really pay more attention to these messages if they state up front how they plan to collect your data.

Did neither the author or editor think to add two more, required, paragraphs? I would have appreciated an Apple and Android step by step to show how to turn off the default program and how to block microphone access. Of course incredibly unethical apps can continue to seed their code in ways that will allow you to seem to turn off the access but not really, and continue to spy. Despicable behavior on the part of the company trying to make a buck in ways that are not polite in any situation, and downright dangerous in others.

Once again, the loading of the Federal Courts, will raise it's ugly head. The makers of these apps can declare that people can opt out anytime they like, is disingenuous. They know full well, that people will not opt out. They don't read the disclosure forms and even if they do, would sign on having no other option for apps that they desire. Just like banks who get away with coercing customers into signing arbitration or no-class action agreements, these app producers will be backed by a Federal Court, who refuses to enforce anti-trust law. Trump brags about filling court vacancies. It is not a good thing.

The article correctly warns us that tech companies sometimes keep customers in the dark about what personal information they collect, how it's used and how it's protected. Closer to home are the scripts running on the Times website. I set my browser to alert me to all scripts running on websites that I access. It found the following on the Times website: static.ads-twitter …bluekai cdnjs.cloudflare securepubads.g.doubleclick connect.facebook …google-analytics adservice.google googletagmanager googletagservices snap.licdn src.litix.io a1.nyt static01.nyt typeface.nyt cdn.optimizely s.pinimg …scorecardresearch a248.e.akamai c.amazon-adsystem tags.bkrtx dc8xl0ndzn2cb.cloudfront securepubads.g.doubleclick Any chance for some transparency at the Times? Are any of these scripts collecting data on me?

Isn't the TV already tracking what people are watching on TV? And sending the info wherever?

Buy real physical toys for your kids, like legos. Teach them to play chess. Get them a wiffle ball set. Teach them to plant seeds in a garden. I mean, there are so many better options that avoid this problem entirely.

Its quite simple. Assume the absolute worst from these companies. Any time any pop up window asks your permission for anything, always say NO.

Big Brother may not be watching, but is certainly listening.

Comments from software industry is disingenuous to say the least. They say that it's all in the permissions and privacy policies. But they know full well that (1) nobody reads those and (2) users can't actually use many of these apps without turning on the microphone. If the app makers/owners were serious about the issue, they would make it possible to use the microphone WITHOUT it collecting information on the user. And they would make that choice very clear when they ask the user whether they will give the app permission to use the microphone. I dislike not having such options. I dislike what amounts to dishonesty almost as much.

The fundamental issue with technology is that while the good may happen, the nefarious will always happen. Why? Because that's where the money is.

I would be concerned from a legal standpoint. Despite the fact that the owner (phone user) consented to the intercept, other third parties could be intercepted unknowingly. For example, the user leaves the phone in the room and steps out to the kitchen or bathroom. Now, he/she is no longer being intercepted (b/c he is away from the phone). However, the third parties (friends, etc.) are still in the room with the phone, which is collecting the audio from the room. Now, assuming your friends or guest are not aware of the collection, the user and the app company could be complicit in conducting an illegal wiretap. Seems like a foolish idea.

I really don't understand why there is so much concern about being constantly monitored. After all, it worked out just fine in Orwell's 1984. BTW: I received a text about a sale on that book before I hit the "submit" button.

OF COURSE I hate to think anyone would really be surprised by this. It's already closing on ten years since I was first accused of harboring a tin-foil hat someplace when I started carrying on at friends newly crazed with how useful and/or generally cool all the apps out there were. I kept saying things like "You don't know precisely what it is you're putting onto your phone, and you probably never will." How much worse has it gotten since then? Something else we'll never know precisely. I choose to remain quite picky about what I'll put onto mine.

Apple's phones always ask before the first time they allow an App to use the microphone. You can look at the Settings>Privacy>Microphone to see which Apps you have granted permission and to change those permissions. If it's a child's phone (or you want to slow yourself down in permitting this stuff) you can also set "Restrictions" in Settingds>General>Restrictions>Microphone with a separate passcode that prevent the child from allowing new Apps to access the microphone.

Now we need to put tape over the microphone as well as the camera on our brand new $999.99 iPhone X! That'll look cool. Just the progress we need. "... does not record human speech ..." Really? I guess that means it only listens to what Alexa, Siri, and other devices respond? Does that include "human" noises like orgasmic groans and flushing toilets? How is this legal? Who would consent to this, unless paid thousands? Anyone really trust the opt-out feature? "Alphonso did not approve of its software being used in apps meant for children." That means anyone can use Alphonso in their app meant for children. Oh, and hackers too, to listen in as you give your account number, password or code by voice or tapping it in at the prompt to get bank account info. If only The People can monitor what trump is yelling as he Tweets.

Maybe if the mindless masses would pick up a book rather than fritter their time away playing stupid games the country would be in better shape. I know that's never going to happen.

Amazon is a prime culprit in this spy game. If you have an Echo, then Alexa hears everything that goes on in her vicinity and reports it back to Amazon.

All phones should indicate, in the status bar, which sensors are currently collecting data- for example, if the mic is on while playing a game, or locations services tracking you, etc. Make the spying visible by default. Clicking on the icon would reveal a history of tracking, and enable immediate lock-down. Keeping on top of security and privacy is now beyond human control- may need this kind of automated help: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/a-guardian-agent-to-prot...

not only what you are watching, but be careful dad, who you bring home. Perhaps the lawyers and detective agencies are also listening. If people aren't getting paranoid over all this snooping by one "agency" or another, I don't know what will make them. I have triple taped over my laptop mic and cam. don't own anything else, but I do check under the bed at night.

The idea that they disclosed the practice is window dressing. Who reads SLAs? No one!

These people need to find a different business model. Seems like a type of wiretapping, and giving "permission" without informed consent.

Calling Mr. Orwell. Mr. George Orwell.

Reminds me of that old joke, "Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you"

All the information secretly being collected is available to federal and local governments via subpoena or NSA secret order. Maybe that's why they're not interested in protecting you.

Remember, YOU are the product here.

I thought Google's motto was "Don't be evil"? Note to Google - this is evil.

The problem with almost all cell phone apps and games (at least on Android phones) is that they have no Off or Quit button. And many that do continue to run in the background even if you use it. I force close all apps after I am done with them. Don't fall for the dire warning about losing data if you force close an app. That would only apply if you forget to save a document or game before closing. For apps that create no data, force closing will not harm them. It will also make your battery last a little longer. As for Alexa and similar products, I would never allow a device in my home that was always on, always listening.

OK, one more time for those who are slow: Internet companies are not your friend. There really are bad people out there. Bringing something into your home that listens to what you say or videos your surrounding is a really bad idea (see the first two points). Separate but related point, if a company is going to make money off of my actions shouldn't I have a say? Where is my portion of the proceeds?

We have the computing capability to read through thousands of medical articles and look for better diagnostics, and best practices. We can plow through weather information to better understand climate and the impact of weather on crops, on people, or determine energy usage in extreme hot and cold spells. We could design programs that look for parallels in history to the day's news, or calculate how to improve traffic flow one car at a time. And where is all that huge data warehousing and analytic effort spending its vast ergs of energy? Getting better information to tailor commercials to audiences. Alexa, I don't care about toilet paper branding. Go away. Do you ever want to just weep for humankind? Any community that spends so much energy on advertising and so little on public health has to be hollow.

I see that Mr. Chordia uses the same standards of candor as the president of the US.

Turn your phone and tv off and read The Bible.

One more reason not to play these moronic games.