Now Bose is accused of listening to its headphone users, we're being spied upon wherever we go
Meanwhile, researchers in California are developing an app which can listen in to phones and detect when a row is about to break out
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.Ever feel that you’re not alone? Once upon a time, listening to music was a great way to chill out, but modern technology seems to have hijacked that simple pleasure in order to make money and spy on us.
A lawsuit filed in Chicago claims that Bose, makers of high-quality wireless headphones that can be paired with mobile phones or computers using an app, has been secretly selling customers’ listening history to marketing companies. Opponents claim the data collected not only reveals preferences in music, but also the customer’s location and intimate personal details.
WikiLeaks has already revealed that, in 2015, Samsung warned owners of their internet-connected television model F8000 not to discuss personal or sensitive information when using the voice recognition function, as the set was not secure. They claimed that the CIA was capable of bugging the device, and that MI5 and GCHQ were developing similar techniques.
When Mark Zuckerberg was filmed at his desk last year, we noticed he’d covered the laptop camera and microphone with tape. Paranoid or tech-savvy? Zuckerberg is developing a “mind computer interface” which could pick up thoughts you share on Facebook, probably via a headset. A spokesperson said the technology would allow users to transmit messages to friends without the need for phones or computers – but critics say that this kind of development hands over even more of our privacy to Facebook to exploit for commercial gain.
If that doesn’t worry you enough, then consider this: researchers in California are developing an app which can listen in to phones and detect when a row is about to break out. Apparently the algorithm managed to correctly spot conflict brewing nearly 80 per cent of the time.
A mere mention of the so-called “benefits” of Facebook is enough to annoy me.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments