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Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

soundguys.com

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Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#261

Post by kayodelycaon »

Polylactic_acid wrote: post #250
catchmeifyoucan wrote: post #155

I use Bluetooth headphones, but almost never use or bother to set up the associated app. So hopefully Bluetooth pairing alone isn’t enough. Looks a lot of these details are collected through a companion app.

When I got my bose headphones they would not connect as bluetooth headphones until I installed the app. After that they would but I still had to sign up and accept location access the first time.

I see a number of people saying this but I was able to pair mine without an app. Installing the app didn’t require location access.

There’s also several people saying their experience was like mine.

It’s pretty obvious different people are getting two distinctly different experiences with the company. It’s not a spectrum, just one or the other. That is strange and I wonder was the cause of that is.

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#262

Post by taneq »

mandelbrotwurst wrote: post #172
monksy wrote: post #167

The article should have buried sony for how egregious they are. They require the app to collect location information, and ear. https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00233341 I'm not sure what else they collect.. but those are the 2 bad ones. They've got a few settings that are software controlled (one being the bluetooth's internal volume) What happens if you get a software update and you open the app on…

Geez, that's brutal. I'm glad I'm seeing this....it never crossed my mind that this sort of thing would be something that might get built into headphones. If I want to avoid this sort of thing, I'm thinking / hoping it's sufficient to simply avoid headphones that require an app. Does that seem right?

> I'm thinking / hoping it's sufficient to simply avoid headphones that require an app.

I'd hope so - as far as I know there's no way for a Bluetooth headset device to get internet access via the thing it's paired with. It's getting harder and harder to be confident about this kind of thing, though.

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#263

Post by dkdk8283 »

TedDoesntTalk wrote: post #242
riquito wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know about Bose, but you can connect the Sony headphones with the normal bluetooth pairing, there's no app required

I have the Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II. I use them with a MacBook Pro through Bluetooth pairing. I never installed any app and never connected the headphones physically to anything. What is the OP talking about? And why would anyone install an app to use headphones?

Why would someone buy noise cancelling headphones if they don’t need that feature?

The QC II’s bluetooth range is horrible. Less than half of the QC I’s.

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#264

Post by myth2018 »

rlayton2 wrote: post #241
someguyorother wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do they know the CPF you give is really yours (or exists at all)? Do they also insist that you use a credit card?

This is a good point. I often "misspell" private information if its not an official form. If someone had more motivation, they could do a "different-secure-number-per-provider" trick and work out who leaked the information.

That's a good idea. I also feed fake data to those "extra-official" enlistments. But never thought about keeping a control to discover the responsible for the occasional leak.

In Brazilian drugstores, there are legitimate situations where they actually need your data, e.g., when you need some injectable medicine. In such cases, they need to send an official notice for government control, BUT they also ask you for an original document.

P.S.: one might argue that government shouldn't have access to data about injectable medicines you take. Personally, given the severe situation regarding drug-abuse of countries like ours, USA and others, I see some valid motivation in such tight controls.

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#265

Post by taneq »

p1esk wrote: post #199
josteink wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If I want to avoid this sort of thing, I'm thinking / hoping it's sufficient to simply avoid headphones that require an app. Or just get one with a good old 3.5mm jack. Beyer Dynamic, AKG and Shure have several options much cheaper than these Bose or Sony headsets which still give you at least 10x the audio-performance. For headsets, if you care about usability, portability, longevity and performance, wired is stil…

Good luck with this if you want state of the art in noise canceling

I have a pair of Bose QC20s which are (or were, when I bought them) state of the art for noise canceling, and have a 3.5mm headphone jack. No app required and they even work as normal wired headphones if the battery goes flat.

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#266

Post by taneq »

jmole wrote: post #201
monksy wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean you can't really avoid it. It's pushed on to you and theres no clear understanding about how tied the headphones are until you buy it. The WH-1000MX are very good headphones, but sony gonna shit the bed. (PSN anyone)

They're a company that makes a lot of decisions from the viewpoint of participants in a high-trust society like Japan. Many times, those viewpoints don't translate well to other markets.

I don't know if it's high trust as much as it's authoritarian. You do what you're told by the company and that's that.

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#267

Post by [deleted] »

NoPicklez wrote: post #251
niklasd wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recently tried out wireless noise-cancelling headphones from both Bose and Sony, and (the important privacy issues aside) the user experience with these apps is just horrible. You unpack your Bose headphone, eager to use them. But before that, you have to download an app on the iPhone, then download a software update program on your laptop, which in turn opens a program in the browser that downloads an update, then…

I own the Bose QC 35's and I never had to use an app at all until I decided to update them to the latest software

[deleted]

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#268

Post by taneq »

secondcoming wrote: post #140
tdons wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I (and many other engineers I know) do this too, and for a good reason. It's a simple system. Same reason I don't use WiFi at home but ethernet: it's simple.

You have LAN ports in your bathroom?

And where did they find a phone with Ethernet? :P

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#269

Post by [deleted] »

bosie wrote: post #219
josteink wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By portability I mean it can be used anywhere, with any equipment. There’s still lots of places you won’t find Bluetooth, but there’s very few places you won’t find a connector for a 3.5mm jack.

That's fine and my BT sennheiser still has a 3.5mm jack. Presumably so do most/all BT headphones?

[deleted]

Re: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (2019)

#270

Post by Mandatum »

cjsawyer wrote: post #257
NoPicklez wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I own the Bose QC 35's and I never had to use an app at all until I decided to update them to the latest software

You can’t change the noise canceling settings without the phone app. They also default back to “full” after you power cycle the headset. I wanted to use them with a PC and no ANC but no luck without the clunky phone process.

QC35's have a hardware button on the side of the volume buttons that allow you to change ANC. Not sure which model you're using.
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