is big brother watching you?

[Phil Pascoe]

From today's Times -
Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas: once home to the boozing, carousing Rat Pack; now frequented by the rather stranger Hack Pack. Last week the hotel hosted DefCon, the world’s top hacking convention, where in one room techies who failed to crack various challenges had their laptops sledge-hammered by a man dressed as a hot-dog. Elsewhere, mighty brains were applied to exercises with wider implications. A group of delegates took just minutes to hack the voting machines used in 18 US states. One whizz demonstrated how to infiltrate police body cameras, download footage, edit a crime away and upload it again seamlessly. Meanwhile, a group of Chinese hackers had worked out how to hijack Amazon’s “smart speaker”, Echo, turning it into a surveillance device to eavesdrop on users.

 

[Fitzroy]

At the moment I’d say most folks have little to worry about as herd protection means you’re unlikely to be impacted, you’re just not interesting enough to be focused on!

As computer power increases it’ll reach the stage where everyone and everything thing can be monitored in real-time.

The staggering one for me though was the ease of cracking the US voting machines. Although at least I now have a plausible rationale for the outcome of the last election across the pond.

F.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I thought the body camera one worrying.

 

[doctor Bob]

I have a bit of masking tape over my Laptop lens and wear a tin foil hat at all times.
Avoid search terms like how to make a nuclear bomb .............. whoops. Now I'll have to rough camp for a few days till the heat dies down.............

 

[Garno]

I have a bit of masking tape over my Laptop lens and wear a tin foil hat at all times.
Avoid search terms like how to make a nuclear bomb .............. whoops. Now I'll have to rough camp for a few days till the heat dies down.............

What size hat?




.

 

[thetyreman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzoXQKumgCw

 

[doctor Bob]

I have a bit of masking tape over my Laptop lens and wear a tin foil hat at all times.
Avoid search terms like how to make a nuclear bomb .............. whoops. Now I'll have to rough camp for a few days till the heat dies down.............

What size hat?.

Big enough to cover top of head, forehead and ears, this is where they implant the microchips and suck all your knowledge out........... when I was a kid I was as bright as a button, remembered everything, now I can't even remember where my pencil is when it's behind my ear ............. see, get those hats on folks.

 

[Robbo3]

The Australian young man that hacked Apple recently was eventually tracked by his laptop serial number.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've never quite understood why these people aren't snapped up by IT companies. :?

 

[Robbo3]

Quite often they are - after the event. Poacher turned gamekeeper.

 

[Jonzjob]

Bob, there are lots of times when I can't remember where my ear is? I have to keep an eye out for it :?

Use duckduckgo.com for yer searches. They don't track you like wot googel do

 

[AJB Temple]

We have a client who for many years has worn tin foil under his cap to ward off evil rays. He insists on using public telephone boxes to communicate with us as he does not trust mobile phones, and he pays extra to get paper statements because he will not use the internet. Paranoid or ahead of the curve?

 

[OscarG]

I'm convinced Facebook listens to my conversations. Last few weeks there's been 4 separate occasions where I've spoken about something and only spoken (i.e. no web searching, not on my amazon wishlist, no ebay, no online interaction whatsoever to create any cookies etc) and then shortly afterwards a targeted advert for that exact product has appeared on my FB timeline. It's possible it's all a coincidence but it's very very spooky.

My friends thought I was nuts but they're starting to believe me now it's happened to them.

 

[Droogs]

That's 'coz it does OscarG. I was in the car using maps for directions a ocuple of days ago and listening to some comedy on the radio when the comedian was talking about prolapses and suddenly my phone shouts " I'm sorry. I can't help you with that" Nearly had one myself!

 

[thetyreman]

I'm convinced Facebook listens to my conversations. Last few weeks there's been 4 separate occasions where I've spoken about something and only spoken (i.e. no web searching, not on my amazon wishlist, no ebay, no online interaction whatsoever to create any cookies etc) and then shortly afterwards a targeted advert for that exact product has appeared on my FB timeline. It's possible it's all a coincidence but it's very very spooky.

My friends thought I was nuts but they're starting to believe me now it's happened to them.

not coincidence, they are using AI which looks out for keywords, and it's getting more advanced, I've found amazon and apple to be just as equally pervasive.

 

[OscarG]

What have you found with Apple?

If I'm actively browsing tools on Amazon/other sites who store cookies, some other website reads those cookies and shows me an targeted advert for say a drill, I don't really mind it because I understand how it works and it's info I've indirectly agreed to share anyway, it's kind of annoying but harmless.

However FB listening to someone via their phone even when not interacting with the app is shocking.

That technology is so powerful what else could they do with that data? Today it's targeted ads, tomorrow it could be collecting then selling your private political views, opinions on controversial subjects, possible incriminating behaviour! I wonder how much data beyond what's useful for ads, they've already harvested!

I know I sound like a proper conspiracy nutjob but it's hard to not be alarmed by it's potential.

This is how fast it worked: 8am my friend chats to me about this TransferWise currency card he has, 2 hours later I'm getting TransferWise ads on my FB profile.

 

[thetyreman]

What have you found with Apple?

If I'm actively browsing tools on Amazon/other sites who store cookies, some other website reads those cookies and shows me an targeted advert for say a drill, I don't really mind it because I understand how it works and it's info I've indirectly agreed to share anyway, it's kind of annoying but harmless.

However FB listening to someone via their phone even when not interacting with the app is shocking.

That technology is so powerful what else could they do with that data? Today it's targeted ads, tomorrow it could be collecting then selling your private political views, opinions on controversial subjects, possible incriminating behaviour! I wonder how much data beyond what's useful for ads, they've already harvested!

I know I sound like a proper conspiracy nutjob but it's hard to not be alarmed by it's potential.

This is how fast it worked: 8am my friend chats to me about this TransferWise currency card he has, 2 hours later I'm getting TransferWise ads on my FB profile.

what I've found is that it's as if google are accessing my listening history data via itunes, because it knows and recommends vidoes based on stuff I haven't told it through google or youtube searches which makes me realise that there has to be some kind of data sharing involved, the only way to truly block it is to listen to music offline I have found, it's very creepy. With amazon I've had products that are linked to google searches, and for example music albums they 'recommend' even though I haven't searched for it via there website, and by the way I don't even have a smart phone.

 

[NikNak]

I've just been reading this while munching on my morning muesli and thought 'really'? so i googled it...

All i typed in was 'does facebook listen to my phone calls'.... and the stuff that was revealed shocked me :shock: :shock: :shock: so yes.... facebook and Apple and others 'listen in'

I dont use faceache i dont use siri i dont use 'the cloud' and i only let certain apps use features when i'm actually using the app.... but STILL i get emails from Tatiana and Anna wanting to befriend me :lol:

 

[Phil Pascoe]

From yesterday's Times -
Facebook, one of the least-trusted tech companies, has started to rate the “trustworthiness” of its users.
The social media giant does not tell people their scores, which it developed this year as part of its efforts to combat fake news and misinformation...

 

[Mark Begbie]

Did you hear the one about the casino that had it's database sucked out through the thermometer in a fish tank?

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/hack ... ?r=US&IR=T