"ve3..." wrote in message
oups.com...
I have heard from a usually reliable source ( he usually pays for my
coffee) that new computers, television sets, cellphones and cable
boxes are fitted with audio devices that can listen to what is said in
the area and transmit the audio to a monitoring center. Certainly the
Onstar has this potential and so do cellphones. The source says that
there is a little subassembly on the mainboard as they have not yet
integrated the listening device in the mainboard of a computer.
Supposedly you can disconnect this device to ensure privacy. It is
supposedly required by Homeland security so they can listen in to
terrorists etc, but it responds to key words a la Eschalon to determine
public trends. All my equipment is too old to have such a thing and I
wonder if anyone has heard of this or is it just an urban myth. I think
my 8-track is safe. My first reaction is to think that the audio would
be too muffled and echoed to be of much use. I know that someone ( I
think Sony) has developed a picture tube that will produce a picture
and transmit the room image at the same time. There can only be one
purpose for this device.



Worse then "Big Government", Google may be listening to the TV shows in the
background. According to the Kim Komando radio talk show 9/10/06, Google may
be listing to the background audio provided you have an open mic, such as a
web cam mic, to gather personal data on TV viewing habits. The website is
www.komando.com. There is an opinion poll on this issue, but so far I
haven't found a detailed link.

wrote:
Not only do we worry about these organizations "listening", but your
employer is most certainly tracking what you are doing - to the point
of firing people -- or making their life a living hell -- if the person
happens to look at publilc information websites that contain
detrimental information about certain employees. It's happened where I
work. And the company for which I am employed now has a "big brother
system" that not only blocks the websites the company deems bad -- but
also reports who has been to those websites and when and how many
times. This includes, where I work, almost all media outlets and
publishing houses. Never mind that I am in charge of ordering
published materials for the company.

But worse than that is the ability of people in this kind of user group
to track who you are and what you stand for. That's come back to bite
me twice in groups that I no longer participate in. If the user group
can access and negatively use this information -- I shudder to think
what the government or other interested parties can do. !!!




Well, now that you brought THAT up. Most HR departments have access
to a number of databases that serve up gathered, and collated,
digestible information about employees under their purview, as well as
candidates for employment. These databases include things like education
histories, employment histories, legal troubles, property ownership and
all the usual employee interest. But they also include things like
internet activities, blogging content, USENet posts, groups belonged to.

What really surprised me--and this goes back a few years, to when I
was at CBS--was when a colleague threw a couple of huge parties during
the summer months, and one day got called in for a little private face
time with not only the GM, but an HR rep and a couple of men in suits,
to discuss his significant purchases of alcohol. We all knew he was a
professional drinker, but we were kind of stunned that his place of
employment could present documents about his alcohol purchase history.

In the end, it was a small matter, with some long shadows. Several of
the staff had been at the parties, and had confirmed his assertion that
the booze was for large group entertainment gatherings. But we all
looked over our shoulders after that.

I was dating the HR manager for one of the newspapers at the time,
and she showed me how she could access the databases that the Company
had used to acquire this information. It was all there. Collated
according to credit card purchases, by date, location, content, and
amount...with remarks on some that included things like names engraved
on jewelry, and the names of his cats and other such trivia. Even the
time of the purchase. All of this information was linked to his Jewel
Preferred Club Card.

All you need to do to access these databases, is to subscribe. It's
not cheap, but you don't need any particular credentials to subscribe.

This information is being gathered and collated about all of us every
day. This is information that the government is precluded by the
Constitution from gathering, on its own. However, BUSINESS, is not so
encumbered. And once the information is gathered, all it takes is a
court order, or a warrant for government to access it. With some
companies, as we've read recently, releasing these data upon request, or
even volunteering it.

So, the Era of Big Brother is upon us, and has been for a while, now.

The concerns of the OP are valid. Someone IS listening. Not through
your television, radio, or cassette player, but through credit cards,
webcams and microphones, telephones, e-mail, and as Wal-Mart has
demonstrated, even cash transactions.

That someone is listening is alone something to be concerned about.
But it's who has access to what is being listened to that has me
concerned. Because, unlike some countries where such information is
highly protected, there are no such protections here.

And once you're on the grid, your life can be opened for public
scrutiny by anyone with a motive. Anyone with a grudge. Anyone.

For most of us, no one will care what we do. For the unlucky, however....

And don't think your life is so boring as to not be attracting
attention. It's not what YOU think is important, it's what SOMEONE ELSE
thinks is useful that matters.

Vigilance.

What do you mean by viligilance?? Are you recommending that is the
course of action to take??

Well, thanks for the encouraging words. So then, in conclusio, one
just has to be paranoid?? I have friends that work in HR. That, in
and of itself, is scary enough -- but if Wal-Mart is tracking my
purchases, then we are all in trouble. Another interesting point with
all of this: The records of professional organizations one belongs to,
of course, is easily accessed by the public. But what of medical
issues.?? Can those be tracked as well. I suppose if one got a hold
of my master card -- you could pretty well determine any treatments I
was undergoing -- Now for a run of the mill cold -- that's not such a
big deal. But for a disability?? Then your employer can dismiss you.
Of course, they will hide the reason in "reduction in force" and trust
me - the
DRS agrees with me on this one. What about some awful dreaded disease
like aids?? That, too, can then be tracked. But shouldn't there be
some things that are personal and not available to big brother?? We do
after all sign a privacy act document whenever you are treated by a
medical professional. Wonder how that applies to Public Aid? I would
guess all of those records are easily accessable?? I work with a lot
of clients on public aid -- with all sorts of issues. I never actually
thought that through. And I wonder about unemployment. If you file
for that, can employers or others get those records too? Then I wonder
what about charities or churches -- could they access this kind of
background information and then deny you membership?? Gosh, this is
just enough to make me never want to leave my home again -- but then I
would have to rely on charging groceries and other more personal bills
and then we're right back where we started - aren't we. Oh, and what
about books you buy at AMAZON or check out of the library?

OK. I'll stop now -- it's starting to sound like Morgan Freedman in
S7V7N.
D Peter Maus wrote:
wrote:
Not only do we worry about these organizations "listening", but your
employer is most certainly tracking what you are doing - to the point
of firing people -- or making their life a living hell -- if the person
happens to look at publilc information websites that contain
detrimental information about certain employees. It's happened where I
work. And the company for which I am employed now has a "big brother
system" that not only blocks the websites the company deems bad -- but
also reports who has been to those websites and when and how many
times. This includes, where I work, almost all media outlets and
publishing houses. Never mind that I am in charge of ordering
published materials for the company.

But worse than that is the ability of people in this kind of user group
to track who you are and what you stand for. That's come back to bite
me twice in groups that I no longer participate in. If the user group
can access and negatively use this information -- I shudder to think
what the government or other interested parties can do. !!!




Well, now that you brought THAT up. Most HR departments have access
to a number of databases that serve up gathered, and collated,
digestible information about employees under their purview, as well as
candidates for employment. These databases include things like education
histories, employment histories, legal troubles, property ownership and
all the usual employee interest. But they also include things like
internet activities, blogging content, USENet posts, groups belonged to.

What really surprised me--and this goes back a few years, to when I
was at CBS--was when a colleague threw a couple of huge parties during
the summer months, and one day got called in for a little private face
time with not only the GM, but an HR rep and a couple of men in suits,
to discuss his significant purchases of alcohol. We all knew he was a
professional drinker, but we were kind of stunned that his place of
employment could present documents about his alcohol purchase history.

In the end, it was a small matter, with some long shadows. Several of
the staff had been at the parties, and had confirmed his assertion that
the booze was for large group entertainment gatherings. But we all
looked over our shoulders after that.

I was dating the HR manager for one of the newspapers at the time,
and she showed me how she could access the databases that the Company
had used to acquire this information. It was all there. Collated
according to credit card purchases, by date, location, content, and
amount...with remarks on some that included things like names engraved
on jewelry, and the names of his cats and other such trivia. Even the
time of the purchase. All of this information was linked to his Jewel
Preferred Club Card.

All you need to do to access these databases, is to subscribe. It's
not cheap, but you don't need any particular credentials to subscribe.

This information is being gathered and collated about all of us every
day. This is information that the government is precluded by the
Constitution from gathering, on its own. However, BUSINESS, is not so
encumbered. And once the information is gathered, all it takes is a
court order, or a warrant for government to access it. With some
companies, as we've read recently, releasing these data upon request, or
even volunteering it.

So, the Era of Big Brother is upon us, and has been for a while, now.

The concerns of the OP are valid. Someone IS listening. Not through
your television, radio, or cassette player, but through credit cards,
webcams and microphones, telephones, e-mail, and as Wal-Mart has
demonstrated, even cash transactions.

That someone is listening is alone something to be concerned about.
But it's who has access to what is being listened to that has me
concerned. Because, unlike some countries where such information is
highly protected, there are no such protections here.

And once you're on the grid, your life can be opened for public
scrutiny by anyone with a motive. Anyone with a grudge. Anyone.

For most of us, no one will care what we do. For the unlucky, however....

And don't think your life is so boring as to not be attracting
attention. It's not what YOU think is important, it's what SOMEONE ELSE
thinks is useful that matters.

Vigilance.

ve3... wrote:
ve3 wrote:

Thanks for the response. I am pretty isolated here so have no way of
checking these rumours out.
Isolated? From where you're at you could darn near throw a rock at the US of A.. heck, you probably do.

dxAce
Michigan
USA

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """"""""""""""""""""""'
I agree that the US population seems to be stoned a lot, but honestly,
I didn't do it.



=================================
The US Army has announced that although it is true that they performed
mind-destroying drug tests on hundreds of soldiers in the 1960s, none of
the victims has been promoted beyond the rank of lieutenant colonel.

George Carlin
=================================

wrote in message
ups.com...
I don't understand what you mean by this:
Google may be listening to the TV shows in the
background. According to the Kim Komando radio talk show 9/10/06, Google
may
be listing to the background audio provided you have an open mic, such
as a
web cam mic, to gather personal data on TV viewing habits

How could the open mic be an issue?? Do you mean if you have an open
mic on your computer??


I have only pass on what I heard on the Kim Komando show. I did not hear the
entire segment, there may have been more details then what I have indicated
above.
Regardless though, by an open mic I mean a microphone that is capable of
responding to sound pressure at audio frequencies, connected to an A/D
converter, then formatted into a data stream that can be accessed over the
internet. Obviously the mic can be anywhere, but the assumption is that may
be located within the computer, a standalone mic connected to the sound
card, or be located with a web cam system. Exactly how Google will access
the sound data I do not know, there may be several methods, but a sneaky spy
driver to access the sound card should work for starters.

I once read somewhere the phone companies can turn on land line home
phones even if the phones are hung up and they can listen to
sounds/voices up to about thirty feet away.(sort of like when we click
on music on the internet to listen to) U.S.Military and government can
listen in to cell phones,they can also blank out all cell phones in a
given area.

I keep my land line phone (cheap $8.47 corded phone I bought at a Wal
Mart store) unplugged except when I want to use it because I used to get
so many telemarketing phone calls,so I just keep the d..n thing
unplugged.I dont have a computer microphone and I dont ever want one
either.I can connect a microphone to my webtv set top box and send up to
about thirty seconds of sound/voice with emails/but I wont do that
either.
cuhulin

I never thought about those "saver club" cards. I don't have a lot of
them -- but I have one to Border's. Good thing I only buy car
magazines with it.!!

So, you're saying that based on your purchases -- that is what
determines what coupons you are issued. I had never thought of that.
What an interesting marketing ploy. Wish there was some way to track
that kind of thing for recruiting for non-profits.!!!


Eric F. Richards wrote:
" wrote:

[...] but if Wal-Mart is tracking my
purchases, then we are all in trouble.

If you think Wal-Mart is *not* tracking your purchases, you are very
naive.

IIRC, it's illegal to use credit card info for that kind of tracking,
which is why all those "savers club" cards are offered by everyone --
to help them track your purchases. The volumes of analysis that goes
on with those records is somewhere between frightening and terrifying,
and using multiple cards (as I found out) won't help at all. They
will carry tracking information between multiple cards as you exchange
them and change them out, especially when stores are pushing a new
product and print a coupon for you to get that product instead of its
competitor that you bought that day.

When you start out on a new "savers club" card and it prints coupons
related to past purchases but not included in your current purchase,
then you start feeling like making a tinfoil hat.


--
Eric F. Richards

"Nature abhors a vacuum tube." -- Myron Glass,
often attributed to J. R. Pierce, Bell Labs, c. 1940

Those food store saver cards cost the people who dont have them extra
money.
cuhulin