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Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

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Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#21

Post by edoo »

DJHenk wrote: post #20
edoo wrote: post #13

This happens to be a good example of how there are so many laws you likely break some all the time. California requires consent from all present who have vibrated the air while you record the air vibrations (but not with your ears and brain storage!). That means if the google phone in your pocket listens to people at a restaurant or your alexa listens to your delivery man for a second you are a criminal under Califor…

In this case it's not the fault of the law though. Everyone with a basic level of intelligence and awareness of cultural norms, i.e. everyone working at Google developing and marketing these kind of products, is aware that this might cause an issue. But blinded by money and optimistic technobabble they do it anyway and make it near impossible or very unpractical for the user to turn it off. I would have no problem wi…

I'm pretty sure the burden would fall on the end user. They don't have to activate those features in an environment where using them would be against the law. Having them activated at your home and failing to inform visitors would be on the user.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#22

Post by netsharc »

Fnoord wrote: post #16

Google could have the device say that it records conversations the moment it detects an unknown voice. Google could even ask that unknown voice for consent.

Didn't Nest want to create devices with cameras? It should just do face recognition to detect people who hasn't consented.. /s

And just like clicking "I'm under 18" on porn sites takes you to disney.com, or "continuing to use this site means you accept cookies", if they don't consent, stuff connected to Google would stop working...

"Ok Google, turn on the kitchen lights". "Operation failed with error undefined!"

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#24

Post by DebtDeflation »

madez wrote: post #14
pmlnr wrote: post #8

I'm genuinely curious why only nest, alexa, google home[^1] devices get highlighted - aren't they all use the same tech as the Google App on android? Why are android phones not flagged as well? [^1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21262521

I wish it were socially accepted to tell people to turn their Android device off while they are in company. I wish I could tell people that visit me to turn their device off or put it into rf and sound shielded containers. I don't mind people using computers and their powers to ease their lives. I don't want to deny them that just because they are next to me or in my home. I just don't want them to use that power to…

>I just don't want them to use that power to collect and track and surveil everything at all times around them

Unfortunately, the trend is to stick a camera and microphone (and compute/network stack) on every consumer device sold to you, including TVs and refrigerators. Not sure what the solution is, since the vendors can make a plausible argument for the convenience provided by voice control and additional features enabled by object detection. Perhaps some combination of local (rather than cloud) inferencing, immediate deletion of data, and privacy laws that clearly assign ownership of data to the consumer and dramatically limit what telemetry data can be sent back?

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#25

Post by nebulous1 »

madez wrote: post #14
pmlnr wrote: post #8

I'm genuinely curious why only nest, alexa, google home[^1] devices get highlighted - aren't they all use the same tech as the Google App on android? Why are android phones not flagged as well? [^1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21262521

I wish it were socially accepted to tell people to turn their Android device off while they are in company. I wish I could tell people that visit me to turn their device off or put it into rf and sound shielded containers. I don't mind people using computers and their powers to ease their lives. I don't want to deny them that just because they are next to me or in my home. I just don't want them to use that power to…

Why are you carving out Android instead of all smartphones?

Also, you can turn off OK google in Android, although they don't make it as easy as they should.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#27

Post by thisgoodlife »

LudwigNagasena wrote: post #2

>"Gosh, I haven't thought about this before in quite this way," Osterloh said. "It's quite important for all these technologies to think about all users... we have to consider all stakeholders that might be in proximity." How much do they not care about privacy that a chief exec with an army of lawyers and advisors "haven't thought about this before"?

I guess the whole point of hiring an army of lawyers and advisors is that you don't have to do all the things by yourself.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#28

Post by vegardx »

throwaway13337 wrote: post #4
raverbashing wrote: post #3

Does two-party consent even works if it's a 3rd party doing the recording and it goes who knows where? I'm sure this will also work just fine in Germany.

It's a good question. I hope that the law comes down on these devices such that it only makes sense to keep and analyze all recorded data locally. If recorded data is never the property of the corporations but of the private owner of the device, a lot of the issues with them could be defanged. On the flip side, the value proposition for these devices may then be reduced - both for the corporations that produce them a…

Not really, in many places you're not allowed to record conversations you're not actively engaging in, even on private property.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#29

Post by XorNot »

madez wrote: post #14
pmlnr wrote: post #8

I'm genuinely curious why only nest, alexa, google home[^1] devices get highlighted - aren't they all use the same tech as the Google App on android? Why are android phones not flagged as well? [^1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21262521

I wish it were socially accepted to tell people to turn their Android device off while they are in company. I wish I could tell people that visit me to turn their device off or put it into rf and sound shielded containers. I don't mind people using computers and their powers to ease their lives. I don't want to deny them that just because they are next to me or in my home. I just don't want them to use that power to…

Probably because it feels really bizarre to carve out one specific OS for a whole a suite of devices which all have the same basic capabilities.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#30

Post by GistNoesis »

madez wrote: post #14
pmlnr wrote: post #8

I'm genuinely curious why only nest, alexa, google home[^1] devices get highlighted - aren't they all use the same tech as the Google App on android? Why are android phones not flagged as well? [^1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21262521

I wish it were socially accepted to tell people to turn their Android device off while they are in company. I wish I could tell people that visit me to turn their device off or put it into rf and sound shielded containers. I don't mind people using computers and their powers to ease their lives. I don't want to deny them that just because they are next to me or in my home. I just don't want them to use that power to…

With a little marketing, you can turn it into a key feature for your tinder app. Using the gesture recognition radar and microphone in the android phone near the bed to collect sexual performance statistics.
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