An investigation by Gamers Nexus found LG smart TVs sweep local networks to map phones and nearby devices. Tests also showed the sets can capture microphone audio with the screen off — they then upload data once reconnected to the internet.

  • manualoverride@lemmy.world
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    27 days ago

    Secretly recording conversations in peoples homes sounds like it should be against the law in a number of countries.

    Imagine someone working for the government, security services, or a defence contractor. I suspect LG may be in trouble with a number of National Security agencies.

      • ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        27 days ago

        Shareholders must be held responsible individually

        So, are you personally on the hook here because the company managing your pension fund is holding stocks in LG? Because that technically makes you a shareholder as it was bought with your money, right?

        Edit: not sure why I get downvoted, this is a legitimate concern/nuance to the debate. The managing company doesn’t own these stocks so they’re not the shareholders, that’s the people whose money they are managing, but these people are not directly in control of the funds. Who is the liable party in this?

        • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
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          27 days ago

          The highest level employee/officer who had knowledge of it should be held responsible

          • AeonFelis@lemmy.world
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            26 days ago

            You mean the CBO[1]? Because the higher level officers didn’t know anything about it and you can’t prove they did.


            1. Chief Blame Officer ↩︎

            • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
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              26 days ago

              you can’t prove they did.

              I mean, depending on the scale you probably can with investigation.

            • JcbAzPx@lemmy.world
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              25 days ago

              Being deliberately ignorant should not be a defense. Just like it isn’t for the peasants.

        • architect@thelemmy.club
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          27 days ago

          That might stop this madness.

          See the thing is if your pension also funds a murder company does outsourcing who manages it not make you at least a little culpable? I think it does and i think the only way to stop this madness is for a little justice to come your way.

          • ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            26 days ago

            does outsourcing who manages it not make you at least a little culpable

            What if i have no control over who manages it? I have two, one is government managed and mandatory, the other is part of my salary (and mandatory) and who manages my company paid pension is decided by my employer. I have no control of either aside from general risk profile and high level market groups on my company paid pension (e.g. “tech” or “renewable energy”).

        • PaintedSnail@lemmy.world
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          26 days ago

          Also, which shareholders? Shareholders have no say in the business decisions outside of the annual voting for board members and whatever broad issues are brought up for a vote. If someone holds stock and then sells it before a vote, are they responsible for the business decisions? If a swing trader bought and then sold in one day/week/month (even at a loss), how much is their liability? If someone sells their shares just before a vote, then buys them again after, are they liable?

      • Jajcus@sh.itjust.works
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        26 days ago

        Not shareholders. Decision makers. Upper management. Shareholders should pay in share value (the financial penalty to the corporations should be high enough to affect that), bu the personal an criminal responsibility belongs to managers, CEO in particular.

        • shroomato@lemmy.world
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          26 days ago

          There should at least be something resembling an attempt of investigating, who, where, and when signed an order to implement this shit into their products. That way they will at least think twice if they want to risk the chance of being held personally responsible.

    • TipRing@lemmy.world
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      26 days ago

      Recording without consent is very much a crime in any two-party state, but my guess is that the TOS that people click past to use the TV gives them permission to record you. If it didn’t, they would be in big legal hot water.

        • StupidBrotherInLaw@lemmy.world
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          27 days ago

          Consenting to recording makes recording legal.

          Making that consent required to use the TV or its features and it being buried within lengthy, opaque terms of service in a country with a low level of literacy should be illegal, but it stands in the US because it’s a consumer hostile country.

          • Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            27 days ago

            A TOS presented after an electronic device has been sold is not valid in most of the World since it’s considered an attempt to, after the sale, force a change of the terms of the implicit contract which is the sale.

            A company can shove whatever they want in front of the customer as contract conditions they have to accept for a sale before the sale - by which point the potential customer can refuse and not buy or accept and buy - not after.

            Of course, they don’t do that because they would lose most sales, so instead there’s a TOS or EULA which the owners of the devices are forced to agree to after the sale to fully enjoy that which they bought, but these are really just legal fictions in most countries.

            Mind you, this does not apply to a subscription to an ongoing service, though even then at least in Europe, there are conditions they much obbey to have the customer accept a TOS or a TOS change after subscribing, such as it being possible for the customer to cancel the service at no cost rather than accept the new TOS.

          • grue@lemmy.world
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            27 days ago

            Unconscionable bunk. It’s illegal anyway, just like how you can’t sign a contract to sell yourself into slavery.

            If the courts won’t enforce it, vigilantes should.

      • M137@lemmy.today
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        26 days ago

        “In any two-party state” what? That’s such a weird thing to say. Two-party systems are a worse version of applied democracy, that should be incredibly obvious. I just seriously don’t understand why you would even think about saying that it’s a crime in two-party states only, it’s so odd. If anything two-party states are more akin to not having strong laws against that because of the very fact of it. Look at the US, which I’m guessing is a big part of your mind in this. Do yourself a favor and search for countries two-party systems and their laws on this compared to actual democracies with more parties.

        • wicked@programming.dev
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          26 days ago

          Call recording laws in some U.S. states require only one party to be aware of the recording, while other states generally require both parties to be aware. Several states require that all parties consent when one party wants to record a telephone conversation.