Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret
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Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret
#2I wonder if Singapore Airlines has something new to say about the cameras in their IFE system?
Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret
#3I wonder if Singapore Airlines has something new to say about the cameras in their IFE system? https://twitter.com/vkamluk/status/1097008518685573120
Of all places to 'spy' on folks, on a cramped airplane seems like the worst. Most people will be 1) asleep, 2) pissed off, 3) eating shitty food, 4) watching bad movies. It's likely that they decided to shove in some cheap android tablets that someone else sold them. It's unlikely that they are actively watching everyone, though the possibility of them switching on the camera to watch/record you shifting in your seat to get away from your neighbor trying to use your shoulder as a pillow is always there.
Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret
#4I wonder if Singapore Airlines has something new to say about the cameras in their IFE system? https://twitter.com/vkamluk/status/1097008518685573120
OT meta execute-our-code-or-else:
"We've detected that JavaScript is disabled in your browser. Would you like to proceed to legacy Twitter?"
[Yes]
rhetorically... Why?
Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret
#5It’s really sad to see companies like google buy companies like nest, or more recently amazon and eero. These little companies build fantastic devices, then the companies get acquired and the elegant products get mutated to serve their new owners. Finally a new player enters the market and the cycle continues.
Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret
#6Now I'm going to have to take my Google Wifi points apart to check for "forgotten" microphones
Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret
#7It’s really sad to see companies like google buy companies like nest, or more recently amazon and eero. These little companies build fantastic devices, then the companies get acquired and the elegant products get mutated to serve their new owners. Finally a new player enters the market and the cycle continues.
What's sad is that those companies accept. I have been offeredd job interviews at google and facebook and politely refused.
Yes, millions are a much bigger temptation, but you still have a choice. In the hand, either they decided those companies where matching their ethics, or they gave up on ethics for money.
Given our entreprenarial culture, is that surprising ?
Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret
#8I wonder if Singapore Airlines has something new to say about the cameras in their IFE system? https://twitter.com/vkamluk/status/1097008518685573120
Of all places to 'spy' on folks, on a cramped airplane seems like the worst. Most people will be 1) asleep, 2) pissed off, 3) eating shitty food, 4) watching bad movies. It's likely that they decided to shove in some cheap android tablets that someone else sold them. It's unlikely that they are actively watching everyone, though the possibility of them switching on the camera to watch/record you shifting in your seat…
For security a lot of (most?) new aircraft have Cabin Video Monitoring Systems (CVMS). Depending on where you are seated they may be able to see everything you do or just your head. An aircraft shouldn't be considered a private place, as you are probably already being watched.
In 2008 a study was carried out that attempted to use facial recognition to identify passengers for signs of terrorist activity [0], so maybe they are used for that.
On the other hand, as you say it was probably just cheaper to use an off the shell Android tablet that has a built in camera...
[0] https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14013-in-flight-surve...
Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret
#9It’s really sad to see companies like google buy companies like nest, or more recently amazon and eero. These little companies build fantastic devices, then the companies get acquired and the elegant products get mutated to serve their new owners. Finally a new player enters the market and the cycle continues.
What's sad is that those companies accept. I have been offeredd job interviews at google and facebook and politely refused. Yes, millions are a much bigger temptation, but you still have a choice. In the hand, either they decided those companies where matching their ethics, or they gave up on ethics for money. Given our entreprenarial culture, is that surprising ?
In the case of Eero, I think they just knew it was surrender or be killed in another year or two. They were already starting to face heavy competition.
Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret
#10Infosec dramas are getting more and more tiresome. Between this and the Singapore Airlines story, it just seems like people need to ratchet everything up to 11.
You have two options, choose one:
- 1. Google wants to spy on you with a hidden mic
- 2. They had future plans for the mic, but it was disabled, so it wasn't mentioned by the marketing department
For the Singapore Airlines story, you have two options, choose one:
- 1. Singapore Airlines wants to record you
- 2. The infotainment devices in the seats are just off the shelf Android devices
One option gets you lots of clicks and let's the infosec drama crowd tweet obnoxious things and sound insightful. The other is the pretty obvious explanation.