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Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret

businessinsider.com

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Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret

#271

Post by koiz »

userbinator wrote: post #110

Having worked at large companies before, I'm almost certain that more than one person working on the product raised the point "this has a microphone, why isn't it documented?" or "this has privacy implications", but was silenced. (Or it could be that everyone working at Google has been carefully chosen to not have such concerns; I do get that feeling sometimes too.)

Or their voice is just echoed down a chain of managers that don't understand why it was brought up in the first place.

Not a good look for Nest...

Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret

#273

Post by hbosch »

jonas21 wrote: post #26
pdkl95 wrote: post #16

> It also said the microphone was originally included in the Nest Guard for the possibility of adding new security features down the line, like the ability to detect broken glass. Detecting broken glass with a microphone? Does the device even have enough CPU power (and RAM) to add advanced advanced audio processing features? Or was this going to upload the audio to Google's servers to do the work? If it's the latter,…

You don't need "advanced audio processing" to detect a glass window breaking because it is loud, and has a distinctive spectrogram. It's a lot easier to detect glass breaking than a wake word, and you can buy standalone acoustic glass break sensors for under $30. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-Intellisense-FG-1625-Acoust...

You may have to mute your device when watching action movies, though!

Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret

#274

Post by pdkl95 »

jhayward wrote: post #266
m0zg wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What you're missing though is that without heavy policing a large city with very high income inequality like NYC would quickly turn into a dystopian shithole. And I don't know about you, but I also believe countermeasures are necessary to prevent Islamic radicalization (and any other kind of radicalization as well). Don't try nothing - won't be nothing. I do not for a second believe that US law enforcement is "system…

> What you're missing though is that without heavy policing a large city with very high income inequality like NYC would quickly turn into a dystopian shithole. Citation needed.

How about a citation (with actual data) about the NYPD's work slowdown[1] in 2014-2015. Contrary to fears about NYC into a dystopia and the traditional authoritarian claims about "broken window" policing, lower police activity resulted in lower crime rates.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/07/2...

Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret

#276

Post by natch »

lbotos wrote: post #160
natch wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Had to use a schtick, like in the old days. What is that? Google's not helping.

usually people use that word when they are suggesting "that's someones schtick" which is like their habit or what they are known for. Like trump's schtick is getting people riled up

Uhh that’s clearly not what it means here though which is why I asked.

Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret

#277

Post by gcb0 »

dpark wrote: post #197
gcb0 wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

projecting much? :) I personally agree with the point being afraid of incompetence, not malice.

It’s not as if someone is going to experience a false alarm in their own system, accidentally access your system via a giant security failure and random account mangling, while your system is experiencing a real alarm at the same moment , and then unintentionally silence your alarm. The level of coincidence here is absurd. The alternative concern that Nest is so incompetent that they somehow issue an automatic silenc…

your landlord will get the notification about carbon monoxide on their phone. Then they will call you. It might be a false alarm twice. Then it might be real the third time but then they decided to not call you and just silence it.

lot's of thing can happen by incompetence, not even have to go too far on the scenarios.

Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret

#278

Post by mirimir »

ceejayoz wrote: post #232
m0zg wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What you're missing though is that without heavy policing a large city with very high income inequality like NYC would quickly turn into a dystopian shithole. And I don't know about you, but I also believe countermeasures are necessary to prevent Islamic radicalization (and any other kind of radicalization as well). Don't try nothing - won't be nothing. I do not for a second believe that US law enforcement is "system…

> What you're missing though is that without heavy policing a large city with very high income inequality like NYC would quickly turn into a dystopian shithole. Sounds like an argument for addressing income inequality.

Yeah, that was my initial reaction.

Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret

#279

Post by kmlx »

jerf wrote: post #165
kmlx wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I have 100% doubt anyone is spying on anyone. I think most of it is paranoia. I also think this kind of paranoia is detrimental to our evolution as a species. We should be sharing more, not hiding in our caves.

"Yes, I have 100% doubt anyone is spying on anyone." You can not possibly examine the evidence and claim 100% that there is no interest in spying on anyone. Doubt that this particular case has that as the core issue? Sure. But be utterly convinced that literally no one , in any intelligence agency, against any target that might be near some sort of microphone-enabled device, has ever had the thought cross their mind…

" they are not anywhere near all to a person nice, wholesome people who wish you all the best" that is exactly how most people are. working and travelling around the world taught me as much.

Re: Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret

#280

Post by kmlx »

reitanqild wrote: post #70
kmlx wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I have 100% doubt anyone is spying on anyone. I think most of it is paranoia. I also think this kind of paranoia is detrimental to our evolution as a species. We should be sharing more, not hiding in our caves.

> We should be sharing more, not hiding in our caves. I suggest you start, your profile here is even slimmer than mine. More seriously: while there surely is some paranoia going on, recent events have made me more careful, not less.

you could build a whole internet persona of myself just from the few bits i have written on these forums.
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