Who's Listening Now?
NBC ran a piece on Smart TV's and how they are listening to and storing our voices. Supposedly only doing so when we intentionally ask the TV to do something [Savannah Guthrie hosting].
While I'm the first to complain about government and corporate surveillance, I do see a silver lining when it comes to corporate privacy invasions but only when the information is anonymized. I have no problem telling corporate America that someone just switched channels because a certain obnoxious commercial was airing or that someone changed channels when a Megan and Harry piece went on the air. No offense to the Brits but we've got enough to worry about here in the states. They may be a respite from Trumpville but funky-haired Johnson and Brexit are also covered and that's no different from our problems.
So, yeah, I welcome the spying on my viewing habits but that's without anyone knowing my name. Just collect the anonymized data and do with it as you wish. Why am I being so magnanimous? Well, the truth is, I greatly admire most of our industries--especially those that produce product. I can understand how the airwaves represent a distinct disadvantage to businesses for they know not if the message is even being noted or even how many are tuning in. Print media is different on that count because the ad is in our faces and we're not going to pick up a different publication because we don't like the ads. The Nielsen ratings are there, of course, but only as extrapolations--not actual numbers.
Radio is a medium that--barring Nielsen Ratings--is mostly in the dark. I know this because there is no way that their onerous commercials and infomercials would continue to play if all parties knew how often we tune them out when they air...and they seem to be OK with it because if the customer pays, who are they to stop airing low-quality ads. This situation with Radio makes me wonder why the Smart TV's are even collecting the data. Why isn't Nielsen sufficient. CBS didn't say who has taken ownership of the data and is selling(?) it. If someone is profiting from our data, it would seem that cable/sat providers are gathering the data and selling it to the content providers.
I also have no problem with my TV being identified with a unique number so long as that number cannot be tied to me personally. Under no circumstances should the government gets its grubby hands on my data but what they should do is insist that the listening default to 'no.' In a perfect world, we should be able to ask via voice that we be taken to the proper setting rather than have to go fishing for it.
While I'm the first to complain about government and corporate surveillance, I do see a silver lining when it comes to corporate privacy invasions but only when the information is anonymized. I have no problem telling corporate America that someone just switched channels because a certain obnoxious commercial was airing or that someone changed channels when a Megan and Harry piece went on the air. No offense to the Brits but we've got enough to worry about here in the states. They may be a respite from Trumpville but funky-haired Johnson and Brexit are also covered and that's no different from our problems.
So, yeah, I welcome the spying on my viewing habits but that's without anyone knowing my name. Just collect the anonymized data and do with it as you wish. Why am I being so magnanimous? Well, the truth is, I greatly admire most of our industries--especially those that produce product. I can understand how the airwaves represent a distinct disadvantage to businesses for they know not if the message is even being noted or even how many are tuning in. Print media is different on that count because the ad is in our faces and we're not going to pick up a different publication because we don't like the ads. The Nielsen ratings are there, of course, but only as extrapolations--not actual numbers.
Radio is a medium that--barring Nielsen Ratings--is mostly in the dark. I know this because there is no way that their onerous commercials and infomercials would continue to play if all parties knew how often we tune them out when they air...and they seem to be OK with it because if the customer pays, who are they to stop airing low-quality ads. This situation with Radio makes me wonder why the Smart TV's are even collecting the data. Why isn't Nielsen sufficient. CBS didn't say who has taken ownership of the data and is selling(?) it. If someone is profiting from our data, it would seem that cable/sat providers are gathering the data and selling it to the content providers.
I also have no problem with my TV being identified with a unique number so long as that number cannot be tied to me personally. Under no circumstances should the government gets its grubby hands on my data but what they should do is insist that the listening default to 'no.' In a perfect world, we should be able to ask via voice that we be taken to the proper setting rather than have to go fishing for it.
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