Dejavu! Is it a feeling, or something else

[_ID_]

Found an article talking about google. Thought it was interesting enough to share.


Google developing eavesdropping software
By Faultline
Published Sunday 3rd September 2006 08:02 GMT

Comment The first thing that came out of our mouths when we heard that Google is working on a system that listens to what's on your TV playing in the background, and then serves you relevant adverts, was "that's cool, but dangerous".

The idea appeared in Technology Review citing Peter Norvig, director of research at Google, who says these ideas will show up eventually in real Google products - sooner rather than later.

The idea is to use the existing PC microphone to listen to whatever is heard in the background, be it music, your phone going off or the TV turned down. The PC then identifies it, using fingerprinting, and then shows you relevant content, whether that's adverts or search results, or a chat room on the subject.

And, of course, we wouldn’t put it past Google to store that information away, along with the search terms it keeps that you've used, and the web pages you have visited, to help it create a personalised profile that feeds you just the right kind of adverts/content. And given that it is trying to develop alternative approaches to TV advertising, it could go the extra step and help send "content relevant" advertising to your TV as well.

We suspect that such a world would be rather eerie, with a constant feeling of déjà vu every time anyone watched TV.

Technology Review said Google talked about this software in Europe last June, and that it breaks sound into a five-second snippets to pick out audio from a TV, reducing the snippet to a digital "fingerprint", which it matches on an internet server.

Given the furore caused when AOL released searches on the internet, there might be more than a few civil liberties activists less than happy for Google to put this idea into practice. Also, given that Google provides the software link between its search software and the microphone, it's a small step to making the same link to any webcams attached to the PC.

Pretty soon the security industry is going to find a way to hijack the Google feed and use it for full on espionage.

Google says that its fingerprinting technology makes it impossible for the company (or anyone else) to eavesdrop on other sounds in the room, such as personal conversations, because the conversion to a fingerprint is made on the PC, and a fingerprint can't be reversed, as it's only an identity.

But we should think that "spyware" might take on an extra meaning if someone less scrupulous decided on a similar piece of software.

The Google program converts sound into graphs, weeds out background noise, and reduces the graphs to key features that can then be translated into just four bytes of information, so that the fingerprints for an entire year of television programming would add up to no more than a few gigabytes, the company said.

Meanwhile, in an unconnected announcement this week, Google said it has signed a multi-year agreement with online auction giant eBay, to provide text-based advertising outside the US.

The companies also plan to launch a "click-to-call" advertising function on eBay using Skype and Google Talk.

Copyright © 2006, Faultline (http://www.rethinkresearch.biz/about.asp?crypt=%B3%9C%C2%97%8B%80)


Made me wonder if a company such as google is doing this for finacial gain. What kind of things has goverments done, in the interest of national security?

V/R
ID

[Talia]

Ok..this is scary and well...insane. I don't beleive they can't pick up a persons conversations as it "fingerprints" the noises in the background. Hell, I don't even have a TV on when I am online. Music maybe but not the TV. This would be more than financial gain. It's away of going against or rights for privacy. I surely hope they don't succeed in putting this up here in the states.
SB

[Mr.J]

This software is already available on your phone if you dial a music companies phone site and you are in a club and listening to a song you like

It will call you back the next day with the name of the song and who sung it

[TheDeSade]

This is pretty simple stuff really. The NSA (National Security Administration) has the capability of monitoring EVERY telephone conversation (both landline and cell) in the US in real time. They use a sophisticated algorythm to check for certain key words and phrases in conversations which then tags the call and stores the data for later retrieval and review. The NSA hasn't specifically admitted it yet, but there is speculation that they have the capability to perform the same functions on international calls and on the internet. Make a call and start talking about bombs, attacks or any number of other so called "coded phrases" and you could get a visit from your local FBI agent to check out your story. Big Brother is Watching and Listening.

[OttifantSir]

The Echelon system of NSA is pretty mind-blowing I'll admit. But they don't monitor it in real-time, ie listen in on every cellphone and landline call made. The software does this. They listen to it personally if enough codewords are tagged to your conversation. Say if you call a friend and say: "Dude, this party is da bomb! You gotta come here! It will totally blow your mind, man!" This call contains at least two code-words they surely look at: Bomb and blow. In such a short message, it will likely rank just slightly above NO THREAT, or whatever code name they have assigned normal conversation. This will result in a second run through the computer. It's not until you add more things, like "White House", "Treasury", "Pentagon", "CIA" or other things like "timer", "dynamite", "attack" etc, that it will rise in the warning system and eventually lead to an actual person either reading the transcript or listen to the conversation.

Back to topic originally posted. I would not want advertisement delivered in such a way. On this computer, it would be a bit hard to achieve too though, as it doesn't have a built-in mic. There is also the possibility of disabling your mic. If Google is trying to do this, they will soon be picked up as adware/spyware/malware by all the programs looking for this, if they try to enable a disabled mic. It won't be too hard to get around this problem.

Still, the concept is frightening in both these cases. I have read the book 1984, and it's not pleasant reading. Well, in a way it is: It hasn't happened quite so dictatorial yet. We are not complete mindslaves of a regime. I can't understand the attraction of the TV program Big Brother. I watched a few of the episodes of the first season to run (in Norway), but that was purely because the Big Brother house was located within a kilometer of my workplace at the time. A workplace which I lived in. (Barracks, twelve-hour days, 14 days on, 14 days off)

Why would anyone want to give up their privacy and privileges of humanity in such a blatant way? For fame? For being known as the sluttiest girl on TV? For being the dumbest character on TV? For being the most obnoxious character on TV? (Although I think Simon Cowell in USA, and Tor Milde in Norway holds that title:) )
If you want to join a reality show, why not Survivor or the Apprentice or Hell's Kitchen or any of several dozens other? At least then you get a true experience for life. Sitting around talking and drinking and having sex on camera can be done from the comfort of your own home.

(/off topic)

I have quite a few deja vus already, and I wouldn't wanna have more of them, as outlined in this thread. The Google thing will never happen here in Norway. Our government-appointed organisation for taking care of our civil liberties, aka anti-surveillance organisation, Datatilsynet, wouldn't allow it. They won't allow having security cameras on buses to get a picture of idiots robbing the chauffeur, so why would they allow something that is such a blatant disregard to civil liberties? They won't even allow fingerprint readers for locations where it would be prudent to have such, as an explosive storage, so why would they allow Google to do this?

This thing will probably never come to fruition as anything but an add-on you can request.

[Rhabbi]

As Colin Powell said, you have no privacy, get over it. Anyone who expects anything different is a fool.

[Mimi Usagi]

This is pretty simple stuff really. The NSA (National Security Administration) has the capability of monitoring EVERY telephone conversation (both landline and cell) in the US in real time. They use a sophisticated algorythm to check for certain key words and phrases in conversations which then tags the call and stores the data for later retrieval and review. The NSA hasn't specifically admitted it yet, but there is speculation that they have the capability to perform the same functions on international calls and on the internet. Make a call and start talking about bombs, attacks or any number of other so called "coded phrases" and you could get a visit from your local FBI agent to check out your story. Big Brother is Watching and Listening.

I know I'm a bit late on this. But I feel sorry for them as I'm always talking war games on my phone.

I must be a hotcake for that search function.

[Sir_Russell]

Agreed Rhabbi we let this happen and I don't see any way to go back. My old job taught me how many hidden cameras there are in places of business so that they can check on employee theft.