Truth or still fiction ?

Scary or what ?

Can you summarize the video I have no plans on clicking?

55 minutes ago, iNow said:

Can you summarize the video I have no plans on clicking?

It has some experts showing how LG tv's collect information, analyse and identify the household for selling to advertisers. Basically, peoples data is a free for all. Ethics be damned.

Edited September 8Sep 8 by StringJunky

Good one line summary SJ. +1

But it is a long video and goes much further.

1 hour ago, iNow said:

Can you summarize the video I have no plans on clicking?

Shrug.

Can you summarise the Bible ?

It is a very long video of many parts.

These guys have been analysing thousands of lines of code (somewhere they mention 40,000 lines or words of disclaimer they encourage you to select all to approve.

The outcome is that even when disconnected these screens monitor everything around them including trawling all networks and the network devices, your speech, and much more.

One section had a doctor asking how he could have a confidential discussion with his patient when one of these screens was simply in the background ?

I am not american, though these folks are, but it is suggested that there is corporate trampling all over the 13th amendment, though I don'r actually know what that is.

It is the overall capability of the system that is concerning, not to mention the fact that the largest amount of digital traffic is now not human generated, which has serious implications for why we, the public, are paying for data centres that service these systems not us and generating huge amounts of unnecessary of global warming.

Do this give an overview ?

Everything is connected these days ...

I wouldn't be surprised if your refrigerator scans the QR code on foods you place in it, then remind/encourage you, on your phone when in a grocery store, to purchase replacements.

Didn't watch, so thanks for summary. Stupid question: can't these TVs be put on a power strip, so they're essentially unplugged when one turns off the strip? We have all "dumb appliances" and a dumb tv with a Roku stick, so I hope we're not overly data-rich. I also shut off wifi router when not in use, which seems like a further buffer against spying. Also, don't most TVs with smart features allow factory wipe? If one doesn't mind having to type in a login occasionally, that would seem like another option for more opacity.

2 hours ago, studiot said:

Shrug.

Can you summarise the Bible ?

Sure, but I didn't post a video about the bible. Shrug.

Gentle reminder, despite your otherwise great posting history and overall contributions to this community, please see Section 2.7 before shrugging off my entirely valid point like I'm some child or mosquito:

https://www.scienceforums.net/guidelines/

members should be able to participate in the discussion without clicking any links or watching any videos. Videos and pictures should be accompanied by enough text to set the tone for the discussion, and should not be posted alone

46 minutes ago, TheVat said:

can't these TVs be put on a power strip, so they're essentially unplugged when one turns off the strip?

Of course, though it's the classic convenience vs security challenge. Doing this would result in a lot longer wait times for bootup and software load every time. Most collection can be opted out of, but not all so it's a real risk.

43 minutes ago, TheVat said:

Didn't watch, so thanks for summary. Stupid question: can't these TVs be put on a power strip, so they're essentially unplugged when one turns off the strip? We have all "dumb appliances" and a dumb tv with a Roku stick, so I hope we're not overly data-rich. I also shut off wifi router when not in use, which seems like a further buffer against spying. Also, don't most TVs with smart features allow factory wipe? If one doesn't mind having to type in a login occasionally, that would seem like another option for more opacity.

I see this as part of a pattern, not one isolated company trying to gain a market advantage.

I have a first gen LG smart TV.
When I first set it up it was oh goodie it has internet so I can get BBC iPlayer
Plugging in the ethernet cable and clicking on the icon directed me to LG not the BBC.
Getting the player through LG was so clunky I didn't bother further. But I did then wonder why I needed to go through LG to get to the BBC.
That was 2016.
Roll on 2026 and we have been upgraded to internet phones, a new router and other stuff.
So I treated the TV like a wifi device (its not wifi by itself) got a cheap bridge and tried again.
Bingo BBC iPlayer, via LG, now works properly.

So LG have been working on their data centre end. Just as the YT article suggests.
Unlike the TVs in the YT article my TV does not have a microphone, and I still can't imagine why it would need one.

But back to the pattern.
Channel 4 or 5 recently had a series of investigative documentaries about modern technology.
The electric car one was very interesting, where they described and showed how at least some makes were spying on the occupants and at least one would not actually go unless it was connected to the internet, and could be immobilised by the factory at any time.

In the UK we are being constantly exhorted to adopt 'smart meters' for electricity and gas.
They do not tell you that the companies are stealing wifi and/or mobile phone capacity from users who are funding their networks in order to report back to their headquarters, by means of a daisy chaining process of signal packets.
Nor do the gas companies like to admit that they need to connect to a consumer's electricity supply in order for their smart meter to work.

The pattern I am referring to is that many large organisations now consider themselves above the Law of the land.
We have seen some reference to this here at SF by other members.

23 minutes ago, iNow said:

Sure, but I didn't post a video about the bible. Shrug.

Gentle reminder, despite your otherwise great posting history and overall contributions to this community, please see Section 2.7 before shrugging off my entirely valid point like I'm some child or mosquito:

https://www.scienceforums.net/guidelines/

The shrug was a polite way to say that you are not obliged to view the video.

There was enough text by me posted with the video for you to decide whether you were interested or not and to ask for further detail if the former case prevailed.

Further you totally ignored the summary I actually offered in a second post following your request.

Consequently I reject your beef as bogus.

Edited September 8Sep 8 by studiot

3 hours ago, studiot said:

Do this give an overview ?

Yes. Thanks.

6 minutes ago, studiot said:

you totally ignored the summary I actually offered in a second post following your request.

No offience was intended. I have now responded. Perhaps we can please return to a more cordial less needlessly prickly set of exchanges once more.

5 minutes ago, iNow said:

Yes. Thanks.

No offience was intended. I have now responded. Perhaps we can please return to a more cordial less needlessly prickly set of exchanges once more.

Good because you have a penetrating mind, and the subject is too important to squabble over.

I actually found the YT on an electronics engineering site where some of the discussion was about hacking routers, and how the TV had the capacity to do this.

I wonder if there is some way of giving it bogus or overloading it with information?

6 minutes ago, npts2020 said:

I wonder if there is some way of giving it bogus or overloading it with information?

Actually they dealt with this in the video too. Encrypted security certificates. They also pointed out that several companies now do this.

But good question +1

Edited September 8Sep 8 by studiot

5 minutes ago, studiot said:

Actually they dealt with this in the video too. Encrypted security certificates. They also pointed out that several companies now do this

I'll have to listen to it. I prefer script over video because I can generally read much faster than speech so don't often bother with them. Plus I am not a big fan of YouTube but that's a whole other discussion.

I basically expect devices to collect my info and spy and sell it to make money. What’s more nefarious here is how they continued collecting and consciously decided to be more invasive well behind the pale. And I also expect this is extremely common. It’s just that LG got caught, not that they were isolated in their actions.

3 hours ago, npts2020 said:

I'll have to listen to it. I prefer script over video because I can generally read much faster than speech so don't often bother with them. Plus I am not a big fan of YouTube but that's a whole other discussion.

The above speaks for me as well. If they provide a transcript I'll read it. Am also curious how to feed in bogus information.

As for routers, the missus and I have heard such haircurling stuff about routers, especially TPLink (market dominating Chinese router with backdoor issues) which is what we've got atm, that we're thinking about yanking the whole mess out and using wifi hotspots through our cell service.

8 hours ago, TheVat said:

The above speaks for me as well. If they provide a transcript I'll read it. Am also curious how to feed in bogus information.

As for routers, the missus and I have heard such haircurling stuff about routers, especially TPLink (market dominating Chinese router with backdoor issues) which is what we've got atm, that we're thinking about yanking the whole mess out and using wifi hotspots through our cell service.

Walk around the house with a Melania lookalike in tow or claim you have solved how to break the internet?

According to a "whistleblower" from Anthropic today there is a greater than 10% chance of humanity wipeout in 10 yrs time ,so what the hell.

Anthropic researcher believes more than 10% chance AI 'co...

It is the latest in a series of increasing warnings about the safety threat posed by artificial intelligence.

Edited September 9Sep 9 by geordief

3 hours ago, geordief said:

Walk around the house with a Melania lookalike in tow or claim you have solved how to break the internet?

According to a "whistleblower" from Anthropic today there is a greater than 10% chance of humanity wipeout in 10 yrs time ,so what the hell.

Anthropic researcher believes more than 10% chance AI 'co...

It is the latest in a series of increasing warnings about the safety threat posed by artificial intelligence.

Should be Misanthropic, really.

4 hours ago, geordief said:

According to a "whistleblower" from Anthropic today there is a greater than 10% chance of humanity wipeout in 10 yrs time ,so what the hell.

Titter.

(would post more but atm must go out and deal with giant mass of wild grape vines - which WILL wipe out humanity if I don't intervene...)

Editorial Rewrite:

Anthropic researcher turned whistleblower says there's a 90% chance that AI will NOT wipe out humanity within next decade

🎲

Every version of Windows starting with version 10 has a GDID.

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Device_Identifier

When you start up a Windows computer and connect to the Internet for the first time in your life, you are assigned an identifier that stays with you forever (unless you format the drive).

In reality, there are at least two GDID identifiers: one assigned to the machine and another to the user. Consequently, when another user is created, Microsoft knows it involves the same machine running the same operating system.

Every time someone connects to the Internet, this data is transmitted to Microsoft servers.

Your IPv4 address - or, even worse, your IPv6 address, which is Universe unique - is revealed by the TCP packet data.

If you turn on a VPN or Tor, Microsoft knows that you previously had IP X and that it later changed to IP Y. So, it is clear that it is still you.

If you bought a computer or laptop with a pre-installed operating system - which is practically the standard - and you’re the sort of typical "useful idiot" who’s actually happy that you can just click and everything runs automatically, then Microsoft ends up knowing exactly which store you bought it from, the store's precise address, the time of purchase, and so on. As a result, they could get hold of your credit card details and your real name. If the store had surveillance cameras, they might already have a real photo of you.

If, at any point, data from your Wi-Fi or Ethernet card is sent to Microsoft servers, even reinstalling the system from scratch won't help you cover your tracks.

With every Android phone, unique data - such as the MAC address and other information - is definitely sent to Google.

In your Google Account, there is a panel where you can find a list of authorized phones and other devices (those used to log in to the account); you can even view the MAC addresses of your past and current devices there.

Google knows your phone has been stolen before you do, because someone will try to set up a new account using the same MAC address as yours (which is in their database).

And if he tries to log in using his existing account, they might be able to find out who stole your phone.

Every installed application (whether on a computer or a phone) can have its own unique identifier. They don't necessarily have to use that GDID; it could be something completely random. If you factor in automatic app updates, the developers know when you turn on your computer, when you go to sleep, whether you're using a VPN or Tor, if you're flying on a plane with Wi-Fi, and how often - and where - you travel. If you used hotel Wi-Fi, they know which hotel you stayed in - i.e. what standard you can afford.

Any application (including the operating system) that performs auto-updates can be used to install spyware on your system at any time.

Every version of Windows and Linux remembers the Wi-Fi networks it has connected to in the past. It stores not just the name (SSID) but also the MAC address (BSSID) (global unique). This information is buried so deep and in so many different places that the best solution is to format the drive.

Every Windows and Linux system stores the globally unique identifiers of USB devices connected in the past. For instance, if a friend drops by with a flash drive, copies some data, and leaves, and it later turns out that the drive had been used by a hacker, that data will still remain on your system. The only sensible solution is frequent disk formatting or, if using Linux, running a live version such as Kali Live.

Edited September 13Sep 13 by Sensei

33 minutes ago, Sensei said:

Every version of Windows starting with version 10 has a GDID.

etc...

Thanks for replying, glad to see you back after the platform issues.

Thanks also for the extra information. +1

A couple of points though.

My original post was not about computers, but televisions, which should not be spying on anybody a la 1984.

The second point is about what the collectors of this information do with it.

The information about private life is neither good nor bad, unless someone is trying to hide illegal/unethical activity.

I have never worried about Google, because I have always gained more from their services than it cost me in privacy.

With Microsoft it is different. I have lost functionality with every new version of their products since XP, at an ever increasing rate.

If they know what I want, why don't they offer what I want to buy ?

Surely that is the first rule of business ?

4 hours ago, studiot said:

Thanks for replying, glad to see you back after the platform issues.

Thanks also for the extra information. +1

A couple of points though.

My original post was not about computers, but televisions, which should not be spying on anybody a la 1984.

The second point is about what the collectors of this information do with it.

The information about private life is neither good nor bad, unless someone is trying to hide illegal/unethical activity.

I have never worried about Google, because I have always gained more from their services than it cost me in privacy.

With Microsoft it is different. I have lost functionality with every new version of their products since XP, at an ever increasing rate.

If they know what I want, why don't they offer what I want to buy ?

Surely that is the first rule of business ?

I am personally happy that YouTube persists in advertising pregnancy testing kits to me. Unless the algorithm is so subtle that it thinks I might have a grand-daughter in the family way (which I don’t), this suggests it has no effing idea who I am.😁

But I don’t have a TV and apart from a phone, a tablet and a laptop the only domestic devices connected to wifi are the boiler programmer and the thermostat. Hope there’s no mic in that!

Edited September 13Sep 13 by exchemist

39 minutes ago, exchemist said:

I am personally happy that YouTube persists in advertising pregnancy testing kits to me. Unless the algorithm is so subtle that it thinks I might have a grand-daughter in the family way (which I don’t), this suggests it has no effing idea who I am.😁

But I don’t have a TV and apart from a phone, a tablet and a laptop the only domestic devices connected to wifi are the boiler programmer and the thermostat. Hope there’s no mic in that!

If you use Hive home automation almost certainly not, if you use Alexa or a BBC smart speaker or similar almost certainly.

But once again it depends upon what they do with the information. The above actually provide a useful (to some) and wanted service.

5 hours ago, studiot said:

My original post was not about computers, but televisions, which should not be spying on anybody a la 1984.

You’re too fixated on that novel and fail to see that the difference between a PC, a smart phone, and a smart TV is merely an illusion. Every smartphone is essentially the "TV from 1984" that you carry everywhere with you, making it far more powerful than the one in the book (which just sat on a table). Information about where you go and the routes you take (along with that of everyone else with a GSM+ phone) is widely available in mobile operators' databases (and to anyone with whom they share that data). Fragmentary data may also be available to the developers of apps you have installed (since this data is derived from the Wi-Fi hotspots you connected to).

A Smart TV runs either Android or some other OS that allows you to install apps - so you can also install something hack-related.

Turn on the audio recording on your phone, place it somewhere - like on the balcony - then walk away while counting aloud; later, you can listen to the recording to see just how far you got before the sound faded out. When I ran this test, there wasn't a single spot in the apartment that was safe.

41 minutes ago, studiot said:

If you use Hive home automation almost certainly not, if you use Alexa or a BBC smart speaker or similar almost certainly.

But once again it depends upon what they do with the information. The above actually provide a useful (to some) and wanted service.

Yeah it’s Hive. A fairly crap system to use, by the way, but that’s another story.