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Netflix socks detect when you've dozed off and pause your TV show

makeit.netflix.com

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Re: Netflix socks detect when you've dozed off and pause your TV show

#111
post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh its a lot more sinister than that, and its already here. An app I tried to run on my Android phone would run a video ad before it started, it used the front facing camera to determine if someone was looking at the phone. I looked away and started typing on my laptop and the ad paused, I looked back and it restarted, I looked away and the ad paused. I looked back and deleted the App.

This is why I don't use Android. On iOS, you install the app and at some point you see a prompt "This app would like access to your camera. Allow?" and you can click "Don't Allow" and keep using everything else. Versus Android, which at install time asks "This app wants access to these 37 different things. Allow everything and install, or would you prefer to kindly fuck off?"

Android is implementing this in 6.0. No reason to make this a fanboy war.

In any case, the app would probably say "Oh, I can't have camera? Well you can't have app."

And it's not like you weren't warned on the page with "37 permissions".

Re: Netflix socks detect when you've dozed off and pause your TV show

#113

I RTFA, I know this an arduino-based DIY hobby project. But if something like this ever comes out for real, the ability to doze off and pause your TV show will be a trojan horse... You've seen those charts where people use their smart watch to record their heart rate during the game of thrones finale? (No? Here you go: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/08/13/what-game-of-thrones-... ) Sure, downloading the Netflix pau…

I really could care less if Netflix finds out when I fall asleep during shows. Sounds like it would result in fewer shows that put me to sleep.

You ignored his whole comment.

Re: Netflix socks detect when you've dozed off and pause your TV show

#114
post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh its a lot more sinister than that, and its already here. An app I tried to run on my Android phone would run a video ad before it started, it used the front facing camera to determine if someone was looking at the phone. I looked away and started typing on my laptop and the ad paused, I looked back and it restarted, I looked away and the ad paused. I looked back and deleted the App.

This is why I don't use Android. On iOS, you install the app and at some point you see a prompt "This app would like access to your camera. Allow?" and you can click "Don't Allow" and keep using everything else. Versus Android, which at install time asks "This app wants access to these 37 different things. Allow everything and install, or would you prefer to kindly fuck off?"

That's not true anymore, as the permission system was overhauled in Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Re: Netflix socks detect when you've dozed off and pause your TV show

#115
post #111
post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why I don't use Android. On iOS, you install the app and at some point you see a prompt "This app would like access to your camera. Allow?" and you can click "Don't Allow" and keep using everything else. Versus Android, which at install time asks "This app wants access to these 37 different things. Allow everything and install, or would you prefer to kindly fuck off?"

Android is implementing this in 6.0. No reason to make this a fanboy war. In any case, the app would probably say "Oh, I can't have camera? Well you can't have app." And it's not like you weren't warned on the page with "37 permissions".

Actually, part of the problem is that they don't have to ask for 37 permissions... they are grouped together in such large groups that you don't know what permissions they are really after. Cyanogenmod has Privacy Guard that I think can help with this privacy nightmare.

Re: Netflix socks detect when you've dozed off and pause your TV show

#116
post #111
post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why I don't use Android. On iOS, you install the app and at some point you see a prompt "This app would like access to your camera. Allow?" and you can click "Don't Allow" and keep using everything else. Versus Android, which at install time asks "This app wants access to these 37 different things. Allow everything and install, or would you prefer to kindly fuck off?"

Android is implementing this in 6.0. No reason to make this a fanboy war. In any case, the app would probably say "Oh, I can't have camera? Well you can't have app." And it's not like you weren't warned on the page with "37 permissions".

On the AppStore, apps are required to gracefully degrade where permissions are not granted, and you can be rejected for not doing that. That seems unlikely to be enforced on the Play Store.

Re: Netflix socks detect when you've dozed off and pause your TV show

#117

I RTFA, I know this an arduino-based DIY hobby project. But if something like this ever comes out for real, the ability to doze off and pause your TV show will be a trojan horse... You've seen those charts where people use their smart watch to record their heart rate during the game of thrones finale? (No? Here you go: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/08/13/what-game-of-thrones-... ) Sure, downloading the Netflix pau…

Oh its a lot more sinister than that, and its already here. An app I tried to run on my Android phone would run a video ad before it started, it used the front facing camera to determine if someone was looking at the phone. I looked away and started typing on my laptop and the ad paused, I looked back and it restarted, I looked away and the ad paused. I looked back and deleted the App.

I thought this was a standard feature on Samsung Galaxy phones? It's not for ads but rather to just pause the video when you look away. It will pause ads if that's what you happen to be watching.

Re: Netflix socks detect when you've dozed off and pause your TV show

#119
post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh its a lot more sinister than that, and its already here. An app I tried to run on my Android phone would run a video ad before it started, it used the front facing camera to determine if someone was looking at the phone. I looked away and started typing on my laptop and the ad paused, I looked back and it restarted, I looked away and the ad paused. I looked back and deleted the App.

This is why I don't use Android. On iOS, you install the app and at some point you see a prompt "This app would like access to your camera. Allow?" and you can click "Don't Allow" and keep using everything else. Versus Android, which at install time asks "This app wants access to these 37 different things. Allow everything and install, or would you prefer to kindly fuck off?"

Even such prompts are disingenuous. They amount to a salami attack against the user's privacy, because the overwhelming majority of users will authorize Yes on a per-app basis just to take a look, without really considering the potential consequences.

See also: server admins who accept SSH host keys without verification.

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