A recent investigation exposed how LG smart TVs can secretly monitor user activity. The report revealed that the TVs can record and store audio even when powered off, track every piece of content on the screen, and be used as covert surveillance tools.
Yet, our living room television is only the tip of the iceberg in an all-encompassing surveillance web that’s quickly expanding. Combined with artificial intelligence, the everyday technology in our homes, in our cars, on our roads, and in our pockets are assembling a continuous, real-time record of who we are, what we’re doing, where we’re going, and even what’s on our mind.
Companies are constantly coming up with new ways to violate our privacy, motivated by selling the information to data brokers, insurance companies, advertisers, and government agencies.
Ford has filed patents for in-car technology that can monitor our conversation, track us, and deliver ads to us. Another Ford patent describes technology that enables their vehicles to monitor the speed of nearby cars, photograph them and send the information to the police. GM was fined last year for tracking the driving habits of their customers and selling the data to insurance companies, resulting in rate increases. How outrageous that a company purposely harms its loyal customers!
There are dozens of other ways companies are using technology to track us, sell to us, report on us and monetize us. But with few privacy laws in the U.S., much of this technology can easily be commandeered by the government to spy on us, just as being done in China.
Other examples include Flock license plate readers, Ring doorbell cameras, drone delivery vehicles, smart thermostats, smartphones, health trackers, home hubs, voice assistants, and retail store cameras.
Now with AI, all this data is can be used to personally identify us, learn where we live, what doctors we visit, and our daily routines. Technology companies have always said they do not identify us when they collect data from us, but now with AI, that’s no longer true. What was once scattered, meaningless noise has become a fully searchable database of our daily behavior—operating silently in the background, wherever we are.
Here are a few things that we can do to help with our privacy:
1. Buy a used car – Get one without the full array of cameras found on recent models. A backup camera is great but avoid recent models that often have a dozen cameras. Turn off OnStar and other connected services. They are not there to help you in spite of what they tell you. While this may not be a practical solution for many, we should at least examine what the automotive companies’ policies are, learn how to opt out, and complain to them when you feel they have crossed the line.
2. Buy a flip phone – Flip phones are becoming very popular with teenagers and young adults who have become the most outspoken about being tracked. They’ve grown up with technology and are not wowed by what it’s becoming.
3. Get a dumb TV – Avoid TVs that track you. Turn off the settings giving permission to make recommendations and disconnect from the Internet whenever possible. There’s a growing demand for dumb TVs and many on-line forums are sharing recommendations.