Facebook Portal device can follow you around the room with its camera
The release of the smart home hardware comes just months after multiple privacy scandals for the company
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Facebook has introduced a pair of camera-equipped devices – the Portal and Portal Plus – in an attempt to gain a physical foothold in people's homes.
The artificial intelligence-powered hardware is primarily designed for video-calling and features a 12-megapixel camera that is able to follow people around the room. Using AI, its cameras can zoom and pan as people move around, making sure the camera always has its user in its sights.
The smart home devices – which feature Amazon's Alexa voice assistant – are currently only available for pre-order in the United States, with the Portal costing $199 and the Portal Plus costing $349.
Similar to smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, the voice assistant on Facebook's Portal devices is always listening in order to capture commands.
Facebook had reportedly delayed the launch of the video-calling device as a result of the privacy scandal surrounding revelations that 87 million people had their data harvested for the purpose of political profiling.
Trust in Facebook dropped by 66 per cent in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, according to an April report by the Ponemon Institute.
More recently, Facebook has been hit by other scandals, including a major hack that compromised between 50 million and 90 million of its users.
Overcoming the trust issues that inevitably come along with these data breaches will be crucial to the success of Portal and Portal Plus.
One way of achieving this, Facebook believes, is by including a clip-on camera shield that physically blocks the lens from capturing images or video.
There is no similar feature for the Portal's microphone, however there is a button that claims to completely disable the mic and camera by cutting the electronic circuits.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments