Watching this Apple event tout how iPhones will soon be able to record ambient audio/conversations and transcribe "high level notes" for you. It's billed as private and end-to-end encrypted, but I think the bigger harm is the normalization of always-listening devices. It's creepy and not normal.
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@zackwhittaker It's also a double-edged sword. It makes phones an even juicier target for theft.
@zackwhittaker on a date: soooo, good to meet you, do we now have to frisk each other
@zackwhittaker
Especially given Apple's plans to go all-in on advertising.
@zackwhittaker
Growing up with Romanian family, I remember constantly hearing stories about everyone living in fear during communism knowing the walls were always bugged and every word was being taped by the secret police.
Was nobody else paying attention to the creepy things that intelligence agencies (and now private companies) have been doing for the past 80 years? How does anyone hear this and think "yes, I'd love to have everything I do recorded KGB style, that's totally normal"
@zackwhittaker
Oh yees, it's very good and encrypted and privacious for you... until I enter the room, in which case things get a little more complicated.
@zackwhittaker Apple is surely gonna port this to Macs too.
@zackwhittaker We Comepltely agree, reminds me of 1984 Big Brother.
On the other hand.
At home or for Your Personal work.
You deserve, Privacy and Security.
Private and Secure by default.
You can thank us later.
@zackwhittaker it definitely feels unnecessary but tbh if anyone wanted to spy on people it’s not that hard to do it and have the audio. I guess the downside is it possibly captures more but burns more battery / disk space.
@zackwhittaker these will be disallowed in schools.
@zackwhittaker ASI cannot be a god without be omniscient.
@zackwhittaker where is the anti-tech tech? The jammers, the voice scramblers, the green laser glasses. Becuase I would pay good money for that shit. Clearly my privacy is being undone by foolishly associating with other humans.
...and I reckon a nice big pair of laser glasses would fix that
@zackwhittaker watched the event and thought: Apple Watch feature not legal in Germany… then I remembered an official statement about Meta Glasses „all fine, not hidden as there is this bright LED…“
As Apple explained their privacy approach I nevertheless am still holding my option - not gonna work that way
@zackwhittaker Are they just chasing LG's #datamining tactics, or are they just continuing the #TechBros amalgamation during the US Administration's inauguration?
Will the next of the .01% be angling to ride the momentum of the #ClimateCRISIS and corner the #energy markets, to build the very best luxury bunkers for them and theirs, while the rest of us choke on #Capitalism?
@zackwhittaker there are no words for how not happy, jazzed, or cool i am with this
@zackwhittaker I mean it's good to practice security culture, where you don't idly talk about anything sensitive unless necessary, but this takes it to more of a "I need you to strip naked and join me in this soundproof room before we can talk about personal stuff just in case" scenario, which I am not emotionally prepared for. I mean, aside from a few close friends, obvs.
@zackwhittaker Yeah, it's super creepy, def not OK and very much anti-privacy for the person(s) being recorded essentially without knowledge.
What they're doing there is encrypting a conversation for the person who records it in effect, whilst giving absolutely no right of consent to the other party. Super dooper creepy and really really not good.
This is REALLY not a good look.
Lots of places have "two party" (or "all party") consent laws for recording audio. I am eagerly awaiting the lawsuits. And have been for a while, now
@zackwhittaker I forsee requests to leave your phones at the door. A bit like those legendary swingers parties with car keys…. 😜
Always listening/recording = always surveilling.
Thanks, Apple, for making the decision to seek out another phone so much easier.
I want a phone, not a tether. I don't want my phone creating a 24/7 record of what goes on around me, day or night, not even after I've eaten Taylor Farms lettuce.
@zackwhittaker not available in the EU right? Right?
@zackwhittaker Apple's done. Nothing new, fascist, obedient to tyrants. Toast.
@zackwhittaker The worst part is the "How Audio Intelligence features protect the privacy of those nearby" which is just "we don't record who said it, but you still get to read anything we captured them saying".
So in other words, it doesn't protect their privacy at all.
My LG TV already does half of this.
@zackwhittaker isn't this just illegal in all-party states? like, I don't know, _california_?
@zackwhittaker This version of fascism is going to be completely impossible to circumvent
It will quite literally be #1984 on steroids.
but at least Winston could stand in the corner, away from the viewscreen
@zackwhittaker We are living the dream. A by design always listening microphone always on us. What more could we possibly ask for!
@zackwhittaker Yup!! 👍 Excellent take on snoop gear✊
Who wants to design the phone box for anyone who enters my house to put their phone while they visit?
Seriously. I am so not tolerating this.
@zackwhittaker Here’s the support page with additional details.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/148354
@zackwhittaker it’s also disappointing because it plays into existing conspiracy theories about “your phone is listening to you all the time”.
@zackwhittaker Big techbro will be watching you.
@zackwhittaker So we have the PervertGlasses and now comes the StalkerPhone
@zackwhittaker don’t they already do this when listening for „Hey Siri“?
the end of privacy is the end of the Private Citizen
@zackwhittaker "End-to-end encrypted"
End 1: your device; End 2: Apple's servers. Checkmate privacy!
@zackwhittaker Wouldn't it just be easier to ask the waiter to repeat the specials?
@zackwhittaker You’re not wrong. I think as a society we’re about to have to navigate a whole lot of invasive technology. Be it Meta’s pervert glasses or an always on bugging device in someone’s pocket.
@zackwhittaker shady