It has recently been suggested that mobile security with certain common devices is far lower than assumed.
The mobile security concerns that are typically on people’s minds typically have to do with using smartphones for making purchases online or in-store, but a recent update from Samsung Electronics Co. has shown that other gadgets such as a smart TV could be placing your private data at risk.
The company updated its terms of service and has inadvertently pointed out that they could pose a security threat.
Samsung recently updated its smart TV terms of service and drew some attention to itself that it likely would have preferred to avoid. The changes included a statement that said “Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition.” This came as a shock to some, and an unpleasant reminder to others, that the technology that we use on a regular basis in our homes and in our lives might not be keeping our sensitive information as safe as we’d like.
A smart TV and other voice controlled technology could be presenting a mobile security threat to millions of people.
Televisions aren’t the only devices that could be potentially listening to every conversation you hold within earshot. There are many other different types of gadgets that can be used through voice control, and this type of mobile security threat exists in many of them, regardless of whether they were produced by Samsung or any of a broad range of other companies.
Among the voice controlled devices that are currently commonplace are laptops, notebook computers, smartphones, tablets, wearable technology such as smartwtaches, TV set top boxes, and even some speakers, such as the Echo from Amazon. If a device has a microphone, then consumers may be wise in asking themselves whether or not they truly know what is on the other side and to whom their words are being transmitted.
The smart TV from Samsung is only the first warning to have found itself into the spotlight in warning customers about the mobile security risk of voice activated controls, but it is likely that this is going to become increasingly commonplace among other device manufacturers.
