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Xfinity using WiFi signals in your house to detect motion

xfinity.com

311–320 of 517 posts

Re: Xfinity using WiFi signals in your house to detect motion

#311

I was reading Hyatt's Privacy Policy and they mention biometrics (and even genetic information for some reason). Does this mean they can analyze all of my behavior in the hotel room? I'm not about to find out. I really liked Hyatt, too.

The ER I was seen at a few weeks ago had me sign a consent to use my data to (presumably) train AI.

Re: Xfinity using WiFi signals in your house to detect motion

#312
post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hmm. That misses the broader reality. What you're missing, is that you are allowed to use your own modem. You can purchase an Arris Surfboard, and use that. They still have control of that modem, but can gather no downstream data. That the devices are not distributed by Comcast personally is not relevant to you being able to do this.

Why an Arris Surfboard specifically? Just checked their website and the ratings are not good? Edit: thanks for the downvote! The few I clicked on their website have weak ratings but they are rated much better on Amazon.

Back when I used Comcast ten years ago, that was the one that I had that I used with them. I mentioned it because I'm 100% certain it can be used. There are a million others too.

Re: Xfinity using WiFi signals in your house to detect motion

#313
post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We suffer from a problem that engineers want nothing to do with politics. I 1000% agree we need a digital bill of rights. It pains me every time a “well behaved” website pops up a cookie consent banner for the billionth time after I already consented because the browser wiped all the persistent user identifiers available to it. For my protection -_- I want privacy codified in human law. I didn't vote for standards bo…

The reason is our government and regulators are captured by business concerns which profit from our data. The government in turn views mass surveillance as a powerful tool for social control. Although there are many more people whose privacy is violated by these policies than benefit from them, the rich and powerful minority is more organized in its efforts and thus comes out ahead in the balance of power.

> the rich and powerful minority is more organized

They show up. I've worked on privacy legislation at the state and local level. Barely anybody calls or writes in support. That means barely anybody would turn up to a contested primary election over it, or donate to a challenger, or organise the foregoing en masse. Contrast that with bread-and-butter or activist issues, where it's immediately clear there is political capital at the very least on the board.

Re: Xfinity using WiFi signals in your house to detect motion

#314
post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We suffer from a problem that engineers want nothing to do with politics. I 1000% agree we need a digital bill of rights. It pains me every time a “well behaved” website pops up a cookie consent banner for the billionth time after I already consented because the browser wiped all the persistent user identifiers available to it. For my protection -_- I want privacy codified in human law. I didn't vote for standards bo…

The problem is that the internet is international and laws are national or even by state. There are 24 states that require ID to view porn sites. The laws are being completely ignored by popular websites that are not based in the US.

> The problem is that the internet is international and laws are national or even by state

How is the this a problem for ISPs coöperating with law enforcement?

Re: Xfinity using WiFi signals in your house to detect motion

#315

I've been telling people for ages to not trust ISP provided hardware. Notice the vague language here which means they reserve the right to share private information for anything that might be called an investigation, or for any dispute which includes them (didn't pay your bill?), or a subpoena. Subject to applicable law, Comcast may disclose information generated by your WiFi Motion to third parties without further n…

Scary, but is it any scarier than the status quo before this feature was implemented? The fidelity of the data, perhaps, but it's more or less been the standard that our footprint where we intersect with a third-party is no longer ours to control.

> is it any scarier than the status quo before this feature was implemented

Yes. It's an invasion of privacy inside peoples' homes.

Re: Xfinity using WiFi signals in your house to detect motion

#316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

im very skeptical of the accuracy claimed. The layout and complexity of objects in most homes to do this is way to awkward to work reliably. For someone breathing or a heartbeat you need much higher GHz signal. Usually this is done at 30ghz to 60ghz. The power flux leaving the antenna has an inverse square drop off rate which makes this basically impractical unless your standing directly in front of it.

Is 60GHz not part of the standard now? Only a matter of consumer hardware support.

I don't think 60GHz is required on WiFi 7 which includes a lot of sensing, but I'm open to be proven wrong.

Re: Xfinity using WiFi signals in your house to detect motion

#317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm doing the first bit, but I can't turn off the wifi -- only stop broadcasting my "personal" network. And actually, as I went in to make sure that was the case, I saw that broadcasting of my personal network had been forcibly turned back on. Lovely!

If you don't broadcast your SSID, then how can device manufactures have hyper accurate location services available when GPS is not? You're not participating in the system! Hell, as much money as theGoogs gives to be the default search to various companies, would they not be willing to pay ISPs to keep that option on? I'm just throwing ideas out that I know nothing about, but I don't see why they would be opposed to t…

I admittedly know little about this, but isn't GPS accurate enough on most modern devices to render the SSID refinement moot?

Re: Xfinity using WiFi signals in your house to detect motion

#318
post #220
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The solution here shouldn't be technical; it should be legal. If we rely on the technical path, Comcast can achieve the same by how many active IPv6 addresses are in use. Even if you aren't using your phone, the device is going to be constantly pinging services like email, and your ISP can use that to piece together how many people are at home. If we rely on legal protection, then not only Comcast, but all ISPs will…

We suffer from a problem that engineers want nothing to do with politics. I 1000% agree we need a digital bill of rights. It pains me every time a “well behaved” website pops up a cookie consent banner for the billionth time after I already consented because the browser wiped all the persistent user identifiers available to it. For my protection -_- I want privacy codified in human law. I didn't vote for standards bo…

> I want privacy codified in human law

Article 12

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks

- Paris, 1948, Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Re: Xfinity using WiFi signals in your house to detect motion

#319
post #29

> Subject to applicable law, Comcast may disclose information generated by your WiFi Motion to third parties without further notice to you in connection with any law enforcement investigation or proceeding, any dispute to which Comcast is a party, or pursuant to a court order or subpoena. Sounds like, at least in some limited circumstances (using the provided WiFi AP, having this feature turned on, etc), ISPs are goi…

The solution here shouldn't be technical; it should be legal. If we rely on the technical path, Comcast can achieve the same by how many active IPv6 addresses are in use. Even if you aren't using your phone, the device is going to be constantly pinging services like email, and your ISP can use that to piece together how many people are at home. If we rely on legal protection, then not only Comcast, but all ISPs will…

> The solution here shouldn't be technical; it should be legal.

It should be both, one serving as a backup to the other. Theft is illegal, yet we lock our doors.

Re: Xfinity using WiFi signals in your house to detect motion

#320
post #220
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The solution here shouldn't be technical; it should be legal. If we rely on the technical path, Comcast can achieve the same by how many active IPv6 addresses are in use. Even if you aren't using your phone, the device is going to be constantly pinging services like email, and your ISP can use that to piece together how many people are at home. If we rely on legal protection, then not only Comcast, but all ISPs will…

We suffer from a problem that engineers want nothing to do with politics. I 1000% agree we need a digital bill of rights. It pains me every time a “well behaved” website pops up a cookie consent banner for the billionth time after I already consented because the browser wiped all the persistent user identifiers available to it. For my protection -_- I want privacy codified in human law. I didn't vote for standards bo…

> It pains me every time a “well behaved” website pops up a cookie consent banner for the billionth time after I already consented because the browser wiped all the persistent user identifiers available to it.

Do yourself a favor and enable the Cookie lists in uBlock Origin.

I'm personally grateful that a law requires my consent before tracking me. That means I should not be tracked without me saying OK without monetary risks.

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