Strong reason to suspect that two way cameras and microphones are in the Television sets. They can look into and listen into your house whenever the Television is plugged in.
There was a time in my life when I saw evidence of this in my personal life. It was really like people on live television were like responding to things I said and did. I took note of it.
One day I was sitting at a Mc Donalds restaurant and this guy sat near me. He said, those people on the TV can really see you. I did not know that. He said he wanted to go and live out in the woods somewhere and get away from the city. I told him that there was a time when I thought that the people on the TV could see me too, but I thought it was a trick of the devil to deceive me and it was not really so.
After thinking about this and based on what I have seen personally, I must conclude that the television sets have hidden cameras and audio equipment in them and people can look and listen into your house through the televisions sets.
So unplug the television when you are not watching it.

This is a offense on our private lives.Wat are the government trying to get from this and why does the TV manufacturers agree to do so.
Man I will never understand the governments intentions.The scenario,they will watch us like that movie The TRUMAN Show.Whats next?.

Um even if it were plugged into the power socket, how would it transmit what it's recording back?
Through some kind of wireless connection/satellite?
Or maybe you see a phoneline cord stuck into it while the TV transmits back through dialup
It's a bit farfetched, right?

Yes you have got a good point there .Another thing I who'd hate it to be man who must pay for the investment to keep the transmission running.For the amount of data transmitted I think you pay at least 4 to 5 times maybe even more the price of a uncapped internet line.Pitty the tax payer.

Cool. 1984 was such a great novel. BTW, I posted elsewhere that London UK may be the most well-known city that hosts 24-hour surveillance of the city streets. But c'mon - you don't think Washington, DC has 24 hour surveillance? Cameras on the TV? I expected it fifteen years ago. I figure that when the first micro-cameras became available for computer video conference, the U.S. government had been familiar with the technology for at least the prior five and maybe as much as 20 years before.
Hell, they're pushing cell-phones with built in GPS now. And I warned my Korean University students about that three years ago!
1984 is a great novel...

Personally, I don't think this is a strong reason to believe that this is happening, just from hearing it from someone at Mickey D's...This man could have been slightly paranoid, and felt that everyone was watching him...Horrible thought though, such an invasion of privacy...

You poor man, you might wanna go a seek some profesional help. seriously.
or if you want to convince me , i think if they wanted to keep you under survalience, you must know something, are you a scientist or some profession that could be a threat or help to them. and if they wanted to really spie on you an hear what your saying it would be cheaper an more effective to have a man tail you an see who u talk to an meet, instead of having a very expensive camera watching you in front of the tv in couch potato mode in your living room an its not mobile.
who was this stranger who approached you, an the fact you think things are a trick of the devil may mean you have some dillusional issues an maybe cut down on watching movies for a while.

These worries are classic schizophrenia symptoms. You need to tell your doctor if you think your TV is filming and listening to you.

I think this would require a conspiracy involving every TV repair guy and all the people like myself who enjoy dismantling old/broken equipment to see what's inside. That would be a conspiracy to big to cover up.

Talk to your doctor...

Have you ever forgotten to turn off your camera on Yahoo Messenger? Are you schizophrenic?

I think the OP was about the trends towards intrusion into privacy - an intrusion that has been picking up momentum in the past decade - and an intrusion that normal folk, seemingly, cannot restrict the government from propagating.

BTW, how many people actually ever see a TV repairman? I thought that in the consumerist age we replace the gadget. We don't fix it...

The OP also mentione stranger approaching him in fast food restaurants with the tv talk an living in the mountains an things being the trick of the devil.
this is not a conspiraciest this guy is borderline schyofrenic, he needs help.

haha Too true. It's much cheaper to just replace the item these days, once a product has become faulty.. it'll always be faulty.
Repair-men just fix it for the time-being then it breaks again not long after!

I thought he was an astute observer making a strong point? Let's see when he posts again...

Here's the root of the problem right here.......

SSOOOOOORRRRRYYYYY!

or Excuuuuuuse Meeeee!

I don't know. BTW, I really did warn my Korean University students about GPS in the cell phones. I saw it coming three years ago. My take - multinationals will use the info about mass movements for better marketing gimics.

With regard to cameras in the TV's. Yeah - I definitely see it coming, as sure as there are cameras on L Street in Washington, DC... (or Picadilly Circus, London, UK for that matter)

Hell, they've got cameras on the streets here in Ulaanbaatar, and this is allegedly a developing country!

Edit: I suspected the cameras on UB streets. Then, recently last month, the news started airing footage of people walking about the streets. The images were shot from the perspective of traffic lights and buildings...

2d Edit: But, try as hard as you can, you'll never see the cameras. Ain't technology grand!???

Personally i don't see the point in listening & spying on us through the TV while 'm laying there watching Get Smart & Hogans Heroes re-runs...I wouldn't put the technology beyond em tho.

Are you serious.Man what has it come down to.

Maybe you're right. Outside of the blatant invasion of privacy, though, it does give "them" a helluva database on the movements of the masses. What I'm trying to say is this: the data is not of use to blackmail any one or two people - rather it is to allow "them" to move the masses. I don't know if you have ever been in proximity to a herd of moving cattle, or sheep, or anything else. It's hard to start the herd moving. But once they're moving - all you have to do is herd, that is channel the outliers, and the herd will continue on...

That's my fear. "They" get this information and use it to channel the movements/thoughts of the masses.

And when I say "they," I guess I should not blame the government. They're pawns in this game like the rest of us. It's the multinationals, really, that are pulling the strings. They need to sell, they need to control, they need to grow. Look at it this way, a multinational corporation is like a living thing. In business, we call the corporation the entity. It is a living person with a biological imperative to feed, grow, and reproduce. What better way to accomplish these things than by herding together its prey - the consumers - to provide stable workers (the food), the consumers (the energy), and the culture - which will allow it to reproduce and grow...

That's fine to record in public, but not in the privacy of our own homes damn! Even if it is another re-run of Hogan's Heroes eh REBEL. hahaha

There is a big difference between surveillance cameras and ones in a private residence though. TO have ones in your home would be breaking the law both here and in america I believe. AH, I hear yu cry, but tis an evil conspiracy anything is possible...but. Lets face it if your doing something covert top secret you aren't going to leave evidence of it in something easily dismantled by the general public. By now at least one curious soul messing about and dismantling or prodding inside a tv would have found one. They would be more likely to be monitoring what people are watching then actually watching people watching tv. I can see where your comming from but the style of the OP sounded more like a paranoia. Can you imagine how many people it would take just to look through all that footage. It would also be a very limited view of a household. I think if anyone where deciding to watch the nations of the world this would not be the most practical way of doing it. There is a line, though it gets blurred, between concern about conspiracy and slipping into paranoia.
This to me is very different to your predictions about GPS, it has been clear for a long time that more technology would be fitted with such things and was a more viable and sesible claim than cameras inside tv's. Even to take conspiracys to an extreme and lets say they could if they wanted monitor what we watch, what we see view on the internet and whatw e say on the phone. These would all still be more practical and provide more information than cameras in tv's. Why bothr with something at greater risk of discovery just to see what someones couch looks like at different times of day?
To conclude, I ubnderstand you feel there is an increased risk of goventments trying to observe the people but that doens't lead to therefore any claim of surveillance being equally likely to come to pass.

Truncated... READ THE POST I MADE SUBSEQUENTLY...

It doesn't alter my view on the whole tv issue though. Surveillance in public areas is known and legal and entirely different. It doens't require any huge conspiracy to exist.

These multinationals could become a dangerous entity.Just think if this type of surveillance expands beyond the TV.This may become the next Big Brother, I surely do not hope so.

I never said conspiracy. I have no doubt that if someone could bury a microscopic camera into a flat screen TV, he'll do it. And the person to whom I refer is the manufacturer. No conspiracy. Just like NSA has a back door to Microsoft software so NSA can eavesdrop, NSA would get a back door to the TV manufacturer's software and data. No big surprise (are you surprised about Microsoft and NSA?)

Microsoft cannot sell anything without NSA having absolute ability to get inside. Microsoft is an American company. And the U.S. would never let a foreign owner take it - never. Through Microsoft, NSA has access to any computer online in the world that uses Microsoft software. Does that surprise you? It shouldn't. Well then, why should a micro-camera in the next generation of TVs surprise you? Especially if the TVs are wired for internet - and many of them are...

And guess what. The Patriot Act is probably interpreted to make all of this absolutely legal... In the interests of protecting Americans from terrorists worldwide...

Anyway, I'll check this board later. My wife needs to use messenger to chat with her friends in Korea. (And I am fully aware that NSA could eavesdrop any time they want.)

With the amount of people video blogging online these days, there's plenty of volunteers already giving away their privacy.. I hope they will accept our offerings and let us have our privacy

No kidding.But we always no that does not mater how much we give them they will never have enough.They will always try to find out more of us.Even if they say they are not watching.

I honestly dont think anyone is all that intrested in what Im doing. Plus I dont have a TV

That Schultz cracks me up.
Yeah It all sounds a little too far fetched even for me Kerk...
err but just to be on the safe side, i don't plan on watching my conspiracy dvds no more...


Or any of you out there watching the porn channel... ROFL!!!

Hehe,Funny.Watch yourself REBEL never know what might fly our way.

Don't you realize that's why "they" brainwashed consumers into replacing products and fixing them? It would take too much time, effort, and money to involve all the repairmen in their conspiracy, so it made more sense to do away with them. Now, the question is do "they" own every single television manufacturer or are they all paid off. Are the people on the assembly line paid off or fooled into believing that they are installing something else when they are installing the camera? "Their" techniques are quite elusive...

You cannot seriously believe this? Most "conspiracies" like this would be entirely too largescale to be kept under wraps for more than, oh about six hours...

If this conspiracy becomes true.I think the population of that nation would go into overdrive because of this

Dude - it's not conspiracy. Is it a conspiracy that Microsoft updates happen (and we let it happen) by scheduling "regular updates" while we sleep? What - you think MSFT and NSA are just updating our security files? Man, there is no conspiracy. Americans let the government pass the Patriot Act. What - you think that everyone on an assembly line knows what each chip and electronic segment of the PC or TV actually does? Does the average assembly line worker even know the technology behind the LED or LCD screen?

When I graduated from University in 1988 my roommate gave me a gift. A book by Stephen Wright called SpyCatcher. Guess what the Brits had in the 1950's - MI5 had designed an acoustic ashtray. Basically, you gave this thing to the Soviet Ambassador who smoked at his desk catty-cornered from the window. Then beam a radar into the room. The ashtray was designed to reflect the beam. Any acoustics in the room would distort the reflection. The Brits could then use the reception, decode the transmission, and hear the conversation in the room from across the way. Brilliant stuff in the 1950's.

I don't understand this. We buy IPOD's and everything else as though it's new technology. Anything that they sell to us is OLD! They've got the new stuff. There's no conspiracy. Just open your eyes, man. Nothing to be afraid of. Since humans created society there have been spies. Powers or representatives of powers that aim to hold on to power. [Remember Matrix II: What do men with power want? More power!] Just now we've got better technology!

No conspiracy. No need to get away from the repairman. Just use the technology. Assemblers don't know what they're installing. What - you think a camera actually looks like a camera? Hell, with the chips and circuitry, the screen itself could be a camera. Open your eyes! Like they said in Terminator 3 - it's in the software... Nothing to be afraid of. It's just human nature. And it's been like this since the first extended community of man. Bossman wants to know what the underlings are doing...

Again - no conspiracy - just fact.

BTW you know, of course, that anything you type on a computer at work belongs to the corporation (I hope you know this). So, given that the corporation owns what you type on your work PC (or laptop that's wired or wireless - into the workplace network), why is it so hard to believe that they can access your PC at home - or your TV that's hooked up to the internet.

Again, what do you think MSFT and NSA are actually doing during those Saturday 3:00 a.m. weekly updates?????

1st Edit: Did you actually read the MSFT agreement when you installed software? Or did you - like everyone else - just click "NEXT."

2nd Edit: BTW, I am not afraid. I just accept this stuff as given. Romans, after all, spied on Romans. Christians spied on Christians. Soviets spied on Soviets. And ever since (or maybe this was the first documented time) the Salem Witch trials, Americans have spied on Americans. Why should we be surprised???

Umm, maybe by the same cable that sends a signal to your TV?? Are you still on dial-up? Most everyone I know has a "cable" modem.

While I don't think you need to worry about the people you are watching on TV "watching you back" or about the ramblings of fast food patrons, there is some truth behind this.


http://newteevee.com/2008/03/18/comcast-ca...t-watching-you/

Obviously that doesn't say the feed from those cameras are going to be recorded or even leave your livingroom. However, it would seem like a logical next step considering what they are allready doing with cell phones.



http://www.news.com/2100-1029_3-6140191.html

The same idea is being developed for your computers (notice how most new laptops have cameras built in?).



http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/03/go...pping_software/

Anyway, I don't even like the idea of my cable box or computer sizing me up for marketing, let alone whatever else this technologies could be used for.

Backing lmbeharry up in this thread. It is not a conspiracy theory but just a general trend that we are headed in. Sure some might say what use would someone have in spying on you. None whatsoever most likely. But just for the government to have this option to spy on those they wish to spy on for their own reasons is the danger. Public surveillance cameras, especially TransGuide type, already have been taken too far if you ask me and they can and will be used to control the major thoroughfares against the population if ever the population finds a reason to stand up to the government. Control of the roadways is key to any battle and has been since antiquity.

Also the Patriot Act was only the second major trampling of civil liberties within the last two decades. The first was the Crime Bill of 1995 that Clinton passed in reaction to the Oklahoma City bombing. Many parts of the Crime Bill allow the death penalty for crimes even where no one is hurt. Such things as destroying telecommunication towers or even bridges, which are crimes against the state when the populace has had enough, can now carry the death penalty. They are preparing something maybe but oh well the majority of people just care about their precious bread and circuses so will be herded like sheep and in many ways already are.

Not such a far-fetched idea.... read this.

The Internet From Your Electrical Outlet

There are no hidden cameras and mics in our TV's. There COULD be, the technology is available and possible, but Sony does not secretly include it in their TV's.

If any of you really believe this, then get rid of your tv. Your imagination is much more fantastic than any tv program.

Nice going ERIC !.

We can already be tracked by triangulation methods and our mobile phones. Luckily we can still switch off our phones or leave them at home.

As for a camera in my TV, I plan on defeating it by installing a one way mirror in front of the screen, if I actually believed they had a camera in there that is...

They wouldn't need satellites or wireless for starters, a TV picks up radio waves and converts them to images, radios work both ways, they would need some kind of signal booster, thats it.

Ever had a great idea, only to find it on TV less than a year later? I have, it always creeped me out... microphones would be simpler than video, but i dont doubt that if this was their plan, supercomputers would be processing voice recognition to make the whole thing much faster than listening to endless conversations and the like...

Maybe to tag off "terrorists" by keywords?

They don't even need to be "on".

TV in the US is going digital, and a speeker can be used as a mic, just plug a pair of earphones into your mic jack you can record with it. So if not currently, I see no reason why they will not be able to do so in 09.

If there was an NSA backdoor into MSFT systems - hackers would have found and exploited it long ago.

END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR MICROSOFT SOFTWARE

This End End User License Agreement (EULA) is for informational purposes only. There is no software accompanying the EULA.
MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL EDITION SERVICE PACK 2

IMPORTANT—READ CAREFULLY: This End-User License Agreement ("EULA") is a legal agreement between you (either an individual or a single entity) and Microsoft Corporation or one of its affiliates ("Microsoft") for the Microsoft software that accompanies this EULA, which includes computer software and may include associated media, printed materials, "online" or electronic documentation, and Internet-based services ("Software"). An amendment or addendum to this EULA may accompany the Software. YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS EULA BY INSTALLING, COPYING, OR OTHERWISE USING THE SOFTWARE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, DO NOT INSTALL, COPY, OR USE THE SOFTWARE; YOU MAY RETURN IT TO YOUR PLACE OF PURCHASE FOR A FULL REFUND, IF APPLICABLE.

1. GRANT OF LICENSE. Microsoft grants you the following rights provided that you comply with all terms and conditions of this EULA:

1.1 Installation and use. You may install, use, access, display and run one copy of the Software on a single computer, such as a workstation, terminal or other device ("Workstation Computer"). The Software may not be used by more than two (2) processors at any one time on any single Workstation Computer.

1.2 Mandatory Activation.The license rights granted under this EULA are limited to the first thirty (30) days after you first install the Software unless you supply information required to activate your licensed copy in the manner described during the setup sequence of the Software. You can activate the Software through the use of the Internet or telephone; toll charges may apply. You may also need to reactivate the Software if you modify your computer hardware or alter the Software. There are technological measures in this Software that are designed to prevent unlicensed use of the Software. Microsoft will use those measures to confirm you have a legally licensed copy of the Software. If you are not using a licensed copy of the Software, you are not allowed to install the Software or future Software updates. Microsoft will not collect any personally identifiable information from your Workstation Computer during this process.

1.3 Device Connections. You may permit a maximum of ten (10) computers or other electronic devices (each a "Device") to connect to the Workstation Computer to utilize one or more of the following services of the Software: File Services, Print Services, Internet Information Services, Internet Connection Sharing and telephony services. The ten connection maximum includes any indirect connections made through "multiplexing" or other software or hardware which pools or aggregates connections. This ten connection maximum does not apply to other uses of the Software, such as synchronizing data between a Device and the Workstation Computer, provided only one user uses, accesses, displays or runs the Software at any one time. This Section 1.3 does not grant you rights to access a Workstation Computer Session from any Device. A "Session" means any use of the Software that enables functionality similar to that available to an end user who is interacting with the Workstation Computer through any combination of input, output and display peripherals.

1.4 Remote Desktop/Remote Assistance/NetMeeting. The Software contains Remote Desktop, Remote Assistance, and NetMeeting technologies that enable the Software or applications installed on the Workstation Computer (sometimes referred to as a host device) to be accessed remotely from other Devices. You may use the Software's Remote Desktop feature (or other software which provides similar functionality for a similar purpose) to access a Workstation Computer Session from any Device provided you acquire a separate Software license for that Device. As an exception to this rule, the person who is the single primary user of the Workstation Computer may access a Workstation Computer Session from any Device without acquiring an additional Software license for that Device. When you are using Remote Assistance or NetMeeting (or other software which provides similar functionality for a similar purpose) you may share a Session with other users without any limit on the number of Device connections and without acquiring additional licenses for the Software. For Microsoft and non-Microsoft applications, you should consult the license agreement accompanying the applicable software or contact the applicable licensor to determine whether use of the software with Remote Desktop, Remote Assistance, or NetMeeting is permitted without an additional license.

1.5 Storage/Network Use. You may also store or install a copy of the Software on a storage device, such as a network server, used only to install or run the Software on your other Workstation Computers over an internal network; however, you must acquire and dedicate an additional license for each separate Workstation Computer on or from which the Software is installed, used, accessed, displayed or run. Except as otherwise permitted by the NetMeeting and Remote Assistance features described above, a license for the Software may not be shared or used concurrently on different Workstation Computers.

2. AUTOMATIC INTERNET-BASED SERVICES. The Software features described below are enabled by default to connect via the Internet to Microsoft computer systems automatically, without separate notice to you. You consent to the operation of these features, unless you choose to switch them off or not use them. Microsoft does not obtain personal information through any of these features. For more information about these features, please see your Software documentation, the Microsoft online support site, or the privacy statement at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=25243.

<End quote of MSFT EULA>

Tiggs, my argument is that if the U.S. government in any way sponsors MSFT research, the nomenclature "Microsoft" or "Microsoft Corporation" or "the Corporation" could legally be construed to include the large investors - whether Public (i.e. government) or Private. Plus, having studied a little law at school, I don't put a lot of credence into the EULA stipulations anyway. The way I figure it, MSFT and NSA, CIA, and FBI could pretty much get away with anything they wanted to. Who among us is sophisticated enough to know the extent of the information they collect during these periodic computer update sessions? At the very least, they get a record of our internet cookies. And at the most, they might get temp files, compressed documents - anything they want... Including video and audio.

I'm not so naive to believe that if we agree to give "them" access, that they would simply use the access to "download security updates."


And hackers get in all the time, too. And guys - don't worry about anti-spy ware etc. (as a way to stop the U.S. government access.) U.S. sponsors research for McAfee, Sun, basically all of the U.S. software manufacturers (either directly or through universities) - it is a matter of National Security, after all.

1st Edit: Some more Legalese from MSFT:
Collection and Use of Your Personal Information
When we need information that personally identifies you or allows us to contact you, we will explicitly ask you for it. For example, if you choose to register your software, we will collect your name, address, telephone number, business name, and e-mail address. The personal information we collect from you will be used by Microsoft and its controlled subsidiaries and affiliates to provide the service(s) or carry out the transaction(s) you have requested or authorized, and may also be used to request additional information on feedback that you provide about the product or service that you are using; to provide notifications regarding the software; to improve the product or service, or to provide you with advance notice of events or to tell you about new product releases.
Except as described in this statement, personal information you provide will not be transferred to third parties without your consent. We occasionally hire other companies to provide limited services on our behalf, such as packaging, sending and delivering purchases and other mailings, answering customer questions about products or services, processing event registration, or performing statistical analysis of our services. We will only provide those companies the personal information they need to deliver the service, and they are prohibited from using that information for any other purpose.
[b]Microsoft may disclose personal information about you if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on Microsoft or one of its Web sites, ("b") protect and defend the rights or property of Microsoft and its family of Web sites, or ("c") act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees, users of Microsoft products or services, or members of the public.

The new generation of mobile phones have GPS. Triangulation (by cell microwave tower) is what they used in the 'Law and Order' TV show in the 1980's to track down the bad guys. GPS (in cars and cell phones - which is always on and always working as long as U.S. maintains its "birds") is much better...

And please don't think that a camera is a "camera." An old-style camera is simply a means to focus light onto a recording device. I bet that some decent software backing up an LED monitor that can sense photons is well able to provide a useful image to someone on the back end through the web. I can't imagine that such technology is not feasible these days...

That may be going a little too far for people 'round here.

--Jaylemurph

Wow.. that's unheard of, data through power outlets. Knowledge is becoming power afterall!

What's your postal address? I'll personally hand deliver my TV to you to rid of it.. so if my fantastic imagination proves correct, you will be TWICE AS MUCH MONITORED!

Thanks for posting the link. I read it. Like I said above, whenever "they" announce a new technology, chances are "they" have had it for years. The only blurp in that statement was initially in 1983 - when the PC first came into vogue. But since the late 1980's the United States government, without any doubt in my mind, made damn sure that The United States government had secure access to any computer using MSFT operating systems that was online. It is simply a matter of national security (I would spin it the same way.) Basically, the U.S. government would have been stupid to let such a technology go unmonitored. God knows the U.S. had been monitoring telephone land lines for decades...

Good one Clovis. I checked out the TransGuide site. Brilliant stuff - technology to control the traffic flows instituted under the guise of assisting motorists to get to their destinations, but also usable in times of disaster or "national emergency": yellow alert!; orange alert!; etc.

Yeah, I'm all for public safety. But given the chance to be a free man in the Mongolian countryside, the pampas of Argentina, or the plains of the Ukraine or Siberia - I'd choose any one of these options to the programmed "reality" of the United States. And that's because I am an American - like Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Ben Franklin, and Martin Luther King and the other great Americans before me...

Remote Desktop...is not an NSA backdoor.

There was a big outcry a few years ago over a registry entry called _NSAKEY. Now - that potentially could have been added to help the NSA create a trusted application - whether it is or not, is a matter of debate.

Personally, I can't see that Microsoft would need anything within the EULA over and above the usual "We will release any personal information collected pertaining to you if required to by law" disclaimer.

Well, I'm a nice guy and I don't like spreading rumors that I cannot substantiate, so I prefer to believe/state that NSA would get the access. I'd hate to think/say, for example, that it's solely Multinationals with NAZI tendencies that control it. -But that may very well be the case. "They" are seemingly, and increasingly, easing their way into authority anyway...

1st Edit: Not that I am dishonest, but it's safer for the masses to consider that the U.S. government is getting info than for them to consider that MNC's (MultiNational Corporations) are getting it... Bottom line, we gave them the information.

2nd Edit: Huge outcries notwithstanding. The average attention span for the average American is about 30 seconds - average length of the TV soundbyte.