Customer Service Agents Can See What You're Typing in Real Time • Hacker News Board

Re: Customer Service Agents Can See What You're Typing in Real Time

#41

Post by clusmore » Wed, Jan 23, 2019, 9:56 PM UTC

Cacti wrote: post #37

dpkonofa wrote: post #29

I wish that it was more prevalent for people to just assume and know that any website, regardless of whether or not it has a chat function, has the ability to record what you're saying (read: typing). Everyone out there should act like everything they type into their web browser has the potential to be seen by, at the very least, the website they're typing it on and, at worst, by everyone online. If you really need t…

If the site is using SSL, there is a reasonable expectation that only the server will see that data, not the entire world.

Not really, because the site probably stores the data and the site could be breached, or they could sell (access to) the data.

Edit: In the worst-case, as per the GP's point.

Re: Customer Service Agents Can See What You're Typing in Real Time

#42

Post by sgarman » Wed, Jan 23, 2019, 9:56 PM UTC

Cacti wrote: post #37

dpkonofa wrote: post #29

I wish that it was more prevalent for people to just assume and know that any website, regardless of whether or not it has a chat function, has the ability to record what you're saying (read: typing). Everyone out there should act like everything they type into their web browser has the potential to be seen by, at the very least, the website they're typing it on and, at worst, by everyone online. If you really need t…

If the site is using SSL, there is a reasonable expectation that only the server will see that data, not the entire world.

Depends if that server is storing every conversation in a non password protected mongo database. I'm going to stick with expecting the entire world is going to see it until security and privacy is valued much greater then currently.

Re: Customer Service Agents Can See What You're Typing in Real Time

#43

Post by russley » Wed, Jan 23, 2019, 9:58 PM UTC

sbuttgereit wrote: post #10

I'm confused why this is news or surprising? At least for the audience here. I remember plugins for various IM clients would do the same thing in a chat window some decades ago. And I remember my days as a sysop in the good old single line dial up BBS days. You could watch users browse and type all the way back in the mid-80's and I'm sure this has existed about as long as multi-user computers have. If you're typing…

I think a lot of it has to do with consumer expectations. We can all sit here and laugh and act unsurprised, but technology has conditioned users that the response isn't sent until you press "Send". Its bad (and I'd argue harmful) UX.

Imagine this scenario: Copying and pasting a debug log, realizing it contains personal or important information (such as password, SSN, or anything else) and it is sent to the agent before you have a chance to redact that info. Or it could be accidentally pasting the wrong thing. I know that I've accidentally pasted Twitter links into my code before.

EDIT: Just to clarify my point. If you're going to break deeply entrenched user expectations, especially in ways that are often used maliciously: explicitly say you are subverting those expectations.

The same reason there are "This call may be recorded" messages when calling in, it shouldn't hurt much to add a "For quality assurance purposes, your keypresses may be logged in the chat window".

And if it does hurt, then you should realize your subversion is malicious.

Re: Customer Service Agents Can See What You're Typing in Real Time

#44

Post by mahgnous » Wed, Jan 23, 2019, 9:59 PM UTC

Couple of the phone systems I've used in call centers when you put someone on hold, they'd hear the hold music but we could still hear what was going on.

Re: Customer Service Agents Can See What You're Typing in Real Time

#45

Post by rhizome » Wed, Jan 23, 2019, 10:02 PM UTC

As I post this, every comment is "Derp if you're surprised, I mean this is how every site is. GOSH." However, you sure don't see this in the e.g. Munchery shutdown story. "90% (or whatever) of all startups fail, big whoop. Everybody with a decent understanding of business knows this."

Re: Customer Service Agents Can See What You're Typing in Real Time

#46

Post by ben174 » Wed, Jan 23, 2019, 10:03 PM UTC

noxToken wrote: post #33

sbuttgereit wrote: post #10

I'm confused why this is news or surprising? At least for the audience here. I remember plugins for various IM clients would do the same thing in a chat window some decades ago. And I remember my days as a sysop in the good old single line dial up BBS days. You could watch users browse and type all the way back in the mid-80's and I'm sure this has existed about as long as multi-user computers have. If you're typing…

The older IM clients (AIM, MSN, Yahoo, et al.) could tell you if someone was typing or entered unsent text, but it never previewed what had been typed. At least that wasn't a default option back then.

ICQ had a character-by-character mode they experimented with for a while. It was kinda fun. BBSs too.

Re: Customer Service Agents Can See What You're Typing in Real Time

#47

Post by Jerry2 » Wed, Jan 23, 2019, 10:03 PM UTC

Another thing people don't realize is that if your browser/extension prefills/autofills certain fields (say, name, email, address, etc), those things can be easily sent to the website even if you don't press the submit button.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jan/10/browser-a...

Re: Customer Service Agents Can See What You're Typing in Real Time

#48

Post by mosselman » Wed, Jan 23, 2019, 10:06 PM UTC

> during those calls where you are reassured of “being recorded for quality assurance purposes,” your conversation while on hold is recorded.

I worked at a call center for a month or two one summer and when you'd put someone on hold you'd still hear them. I was only talking to network mechanics (ISP internal call center), but I am sure that the customer call center worked in the same way. I, after this experience, always assume someone can hear me.

Update: "I, after this experience, always assume someone can hear me." when I am on the phone with customer services, not in general. Although in today's technological world it would not be that much of a stretch.

Re: Customer Service Agents Can See What You're Typing in Real Time

#49

Post by sixothree » Wed, Jan 23, 2019, 10:07 PM UTC

sbuttgereit wrote: post #10

I'm confused why this is news or surprising? At least for the audience here. I remember plugins for various IM clients would do the same thing in a chat window some decades ago. And I remember my days as a sysop in the good old single line dial up BBS days. You could watch users browse and type all the way back in the mid-80's and I'm sure this has existed about as long as multi-user computers have. If you're typing…

We all know in the back of our head that it's possible. But seeing confirmation that it is happening definitely changes how I feel about textboxes.

Re: Customer Service Agents Can See What You're Typing in Real Time

#50

Post by nneonneo » Wed, Jan 23, 2019, 10:07 PM UTC

On a recent customer service call, I bid the agent goodbye but did not hang up (deliberately - I wanted to see if they would terminate the call). The rep held the call open for a good 2-3 minutes even though there was nothing from my end except some typing. I’m fairly sure I heard some small sounds from their end so they didn’t just switch to another line.

I’m not usually paranoid - but moments like this remind me to hit the Mute button whenever I’m not directly conversing with an agent. You just never know what they’ll pick up.