Is your TV watching you? Samsung's latest sets with built in cameras

s your TV watching you? Samsung's latest sets with built-in cameras spark concerns

PUBLISHED: 05:07 GMT, 20 March 2012 | UPDATED: 12:18 GMT, 20 March 2012

Samsung's latest breed of plasmas and HDTVs may allow hackers, or even the company itself, to see and hear you and your family, and collect extremely personal data.

The new models, which are closer than ever to personal computers, offer high-tech features that have previously been unavailable, including a built-in HD camera, microphone set and face and speech recognition software.

This software allows Samsung to recognise who is viewing the TV and personalises each person’s experience accordingly. The TV also listens and responds to specific voice commands.

High-tech: Samsung's latest sets feature built-in HD cameras, microphone sets and face and speech recognition software

But some critics have suggested that the TV company could be spying on you, or even watching and listening to you - without your knowledge - through these features.

Gary Merson, who runs website HD guru, said that because there is no way of disconnecting the camera and microphone, users cannot be 100 per cent sure that Samsung is not collecting data and passing it on to third parties.

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Merson said: ‘What concerns us is the integration of both an active camera and microphone. A Samsung representative tells us you can deactivate the voice feature; however this is done via software, not a hard switch like the one you use to turn a room light on or off.

‘And unlike other TVs, which have cameras and microphones as add-on accessories connected by a single, easily removable USB cable, you can't just unplug these sensors.

Invasive: Gary Merson suggests that the Samsung's new models could be hacked into

‘During our demo, unless the face recognition learning feature was activated, there was no indication as to whether the camera (such as a red light) and audio mics are on. And as far as the microphone is concerned, there is no way to physically disconnect it or be assured it is not picking up your voice.’

Merson claims that this problem raises questions about whether Samsung can watch someone watching their TV, and listen to them, at will, via the microphone and internet connection.

It also sparks concerns, he says, about where Samsung stores this data that it collects and how secure it is.

He goes on to suggest that the TV sets could be hacked into if, for instance, they are run by operating systems that have a prior history of hacking.

When Samsung was approached to provide information on the set's privacy features or the company's policies, it did not respond.

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Comment by Cryptocurrency on March 22, 2012 at 4:36pm: Ya know, and if 1984 was any type of foreshadowing then the notion of a video screen watching people in their homes is something we have been anticipating for a couple generations now.

Comment by Central Scrutinizer on March 22, 2012 at 4:15pm: u got that right krypke...a note to cam/mic users there are settings thru adobe flash to have this crap turned on or off, I would recommend making sure its all off, and check the "Do Not Ask again" button ;)

Comment by Cryptocurrency on March 22, 2012 at 3:42pm: Why not, the laptops are listening to you. They have built in microphones now and Google publicly admitted it was working with the NSA back in 2010. Check it out:

Big Brother Not Just Spying On Schoolchildren Through Their Laptops

Comment by Robert Carobene on March 22, 2012 at 1:28pm: Generation i meant but hey thats a good word also germeration lololol

Comment by suzie on March 22, 2012 at 1:18pm: @robert germeration did you make that word up.. its a good one ;)

Comment by Robert Carobene on March 22, 2012 at 1:16pm: yes we will need his skills :)

Comment by suzie on March 22, 2012 at 1:03pm: @H00lyw00d your skills will be useful during the revolution!

Comment by Central Scrutinizer on March 22, 2012 at 12:51pm: I install Internet connected security cams for a lot of small business' and it gets me sometimes knowing I'm helping to setup big brother (majority of these are installed under the guise of "Alarm" or "Security" reasons, but real reason is to watch employee abuse) I try & justify it by thinking, "Ok, employees know cams are going up so they should have the common sense to know their being observed or @ least recorded, so they better fly right"....But then I forget that most American's do not think for theirselves anymore.

I dont do cell phones, will never own a network connected tv nor any WAN connected camera's (do have 6-cam LAN security/motion cams installed, but not on Inet)

my 2¢

Peas out

Comment by Robert Carobene on March 22, 2012 at 12:42pm: this germeration is getting used to being tracked tagged and soon bagged into a Fema camp

Comment by suzie on March 22, 2012 at 12:39pm: remember those kids that got computers at school and they were watched by the school .. they are letting us know they can do it and if they can do it they will do it .. the merge of computer and tv will do it.. they already can do it with the iphone .. merging tv telephone & computer has already been done in the way they bill us. They are probably trying to figure out how to make the most money.. They made a mistake giving us the www in a small tablet they may be able to track us with them but you can block the camera.. i don't know it is getting just so crazy .. we are living in crazy town.. the lunatics are truly running the asylum