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What Vizio was doing behind the TV screen

ftc.gov

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Re: What Vizio was doing behind the TV screen

#261

Post by spangry »

awfgylbcxhrey wrote: post #81

Vizio collected a selection of pixels on the screen that it matched to a database of TV, movie, and commercial content. I would like to know more about that process. I find it ethically abhorrent, but technically very interesting. Like, is it grabbing, say, three pixels in constant locations across the screen and matching their color change over time? Is it examining a whole block? Is it averaging a block at some pro…

Perceptual hashing could have been the technique used. For example, see: https://github.com/JohannesBuchner/imagehash

I use this for deduplicating my, er, 'home movies' collection.

EDIT: Here's a good explanation of one specific technique that should give you the general idea: http://www.hackerfactor.com/blog/?/archives/432-Looks-Like-I...

Re: What Vizio was doing behind the TV screen

#262

Post by alexpersian »

spangry wrote: post #259
mbesto wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Vizio collected a selection of pixels on the screen that it matched to a database of TV, movie, and commercial content. That type of technology alone would cost you at least $2M to build. So either your statement is incorrect or Vizio got a terrible ROI on this (sans fine).

I doubt it would cost nearly that much. I could build something similar in a couple of days, and I'm not even a developer by trade. Just use something like pHash (e.g. https://github.com/JohannesBuchner/imagehash ), screen cap the centre of the screen (say, a quarter of the screen in total) every minute, hash and then send the 8 byte hex string back to home base.

Ok. Now get the database of content to match it against and build a program that automatically determines what the user is engaged in.

Re: What Vizio was doing behind the TV screen

#263

Post by scient »

mirkules wrote: post #116
AJ007 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for posting this. When I saw the original FTC story I recalled reading about this once or twice in the past but couldn't think of any key phrases or sources. In response to some of the other comments here, basically what they are guilty of isn't spying but failing to properly disclose and opt-in users. There is a particular major AV vendor who is selling raw clickstream data of millions of their user's interne…

Is it possible to bring about a similar complaint against Facebook with the FTC? Or, if the FTC is the wrong agency, what would be the right one? Of particular concern are "shadow profiles" - dossiers on people who have never even used or consented to using Facebook[1]. I'm no lawyer, but there could be precedent per this Vizio case. In my opinion Facebook is hugely overstepping people's privacy bounds, even if they…

By using FB, you consent to them using the information about you that others and you yourself provide. Dont like it? Dont use FB.

Re: What Vizio was doing behind the TV screen

#264

Post by scient »

spangry wrote: post #259
mbesto wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Vizio collected a selection of pixels on the screen that it matched to a database of TV, movie, and commercial content. That type of technology alone would cost you at least $2M to build. So either your statement is incorrect or Vizio got a terrible ROI on this (sans fine).

I doubt it would cost nearly that much. I could build something similar in a couple of days, and I'm not even a developer by trade. Just use something like pHash (e.g. https://github.com/JohannesBuchner/imagehash ), screen cap the centre of the screen (say, a quarter of the screen in total) every minute, hash and then send the 8 byte hex string back to home base.

Ah, the "I'm no developer, but this is easy" person. Glad to have your valuable input here :)

Re: What Vizio was doing behind the TV screen

#265

Post by xtracto »

AJ007 wrote: post #55
mikeryan wrote: post #33

So I have a bit of intimate knowledge of this. Not sure what I can answer but for years my company worked on an Automatic Content Recognition project using tools from a team called Cognitive Networks who were bought by Vizio and makes up the tech that did this. If I understand correctly the founder of Vizio kept this tech for himself in the sale of Vizio. When developing this we would work directly with Cognitive che…

Thanks for posting this. When I saw the original FTC story I recalled reading about this once or twice in the past but couldn't think of any key phrases or sources. In response to some of the other comments here, basically what they are guilty of isn't spying but failing to properly disclose and opt-in users. There is a particular major AV vendor who is selling raw clickstream data of millions of their user's interne…

What Facebook is doing is quite frankly scary. This Sunday over a birthday meeting with some friends, one of them was telling us about a restaurant called "Lucuma" (this is in Guadalajara, Mexico). My wife did nothing with her cell-phone, except having it with her during the conversation.

Later that day when we are back at home, she showed me an ad about that same restaurant. We never searched for something similar (this is a vegan restaurant), but only talked about it on our way home.

Re: What Vizio was doing behind the TV screen

#266

Post by seppin »

scient wrote: post #263
mirkules wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it possible to bring about a similar complaint against Facebook with the FTC? Or, if the FTC is the wrong agency, what would be the right one? Of particular concern are "shadow profiles" - dossiers on people who have never even used or consented to using Facebook[1]. I'm no lawyer, but there could be precedent per this Vizio case. In my opinion Facebook is hugely overstepping people's privacy bounds, even if they…

By using FB, you consent to them using the information about you that others and you yourself provide. Dont like it? Dont use FB.

don't like the single de facto platform for communication online? don't use it. i'm sure your friends will get ahold of you somehow. maybe whatsapp?

Re: What Vizio was doing behind the TV screen

#267

Post by spangry »

alexpersian wrote: post #262
spangry wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt it would cost nearly that much. I could build something similar in a couple of days, and I'm not even a developer by trade. Just use something like pHash (e.g. https://github.com/JohannesBuchner/imagehash ), screen cap the centre of the screen (say, a quarter of the screen in total) every minute, hash and then send the 8 byte hex string back to home base.

Ok. Now get the database of content to match it against and build a program that automatically determines what the user is engaged in.

Ok, I'll just go and buy a major media content publisher. Sony, perhaps...

Re: What Vizio was doing behind the TV screen

#268

Post by Fedex »

forkerenok wrote: post #204
kchoudhu wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait, what's cloudstagram?

That's a very subtle joke :) (Those in the dark search for cloud2butt browser plugin)

That is my favorite extension. It subtly brightens my day when I come across one of its gems.

Re: What Vizio was doing behind the TV screen

#269

Post by z3t4 »

deadbunny wrote: post #229
z3t4 wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It needs to be physically disconnected or on a network without Internet connection. The Mac address is the easiest to spoof. If it has any kind of radio like WiFi you need to de-solder it, as the data could be collected by a car driving by, or via your neighborers Wifi.

> as the data could be collected by a car driving by, or via your neighborers Wifi. What? How is it going to connect to your neighbours wifi? How is someone driving past going to connect to your TV? Is the TV going to set itself up as an access point? I'm completely behind not connecting random devices in my house to the internet but suggesting they are somehow trying to get data out by connecting to random networks…

If they really wanted to collect the data, they could make the TV auto connect to certain SSID's or any open WiFi.

Also lookup smart water meters, that can be read by driving by.

Re: What Vizio was doing behind the TV screen

#270

Post by dpark »

seppin wrote: post #266
scient wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By using FB, you consent to them using the information about you that others and you yourself provide. Dont like it? Dont use FB.

don't like the single de facto platform for communication online? don't use it. i'm sure your friends will get ahold of you somehow. maybe whatsapp?

On the one hand, Facebook is ubiquitous enough that the government could probably step in and regulate them and it wouldn't be entirely unreasonable. On the other hand, I don't use Facebook and I'm getting along just fine. I have an account but log in about once a year. "Don't use it" is a legitimate option.
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