• wobfan@lemmy.zip
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        1 month ago

        Bro, they don’t. The OS manages microphone access. If you allow it, yes, they may spy. But even then, the OS visible tells you via an icon that the microphone is used. It is the plain written truth, that we can not argue around. There has been a lot security research around this, stuff has been audited, Android is even open source, and no one has ever found even a hint of this being possible.

        Echos and Google Homes are an entirely different story because they operate their microphones by design, their entire system works on always listening, and they don’t hide that.

          • henfredemars@infosec.pub
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            1 month ago

            Do you have a mechanism to work around the OS permissions model that broadly works across handsets?

            I can find you a buyer for that info and we’ll split 40/60. Dead serious. Cash, and no questions. Just prove that it works.

      • edric@lemm.ee
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        1 month ago

        Can’t say about Amazon and Google because I don’t have their devices, but if you read up on how Siri’s cue word works, you’ll see how it doesn’t “listen” to you all the time. It has 2 mechanisms in play, one that’s always ready to hear you call it, and the other that actually transmits the data it collects. Those 2 are decoupled to ensure the one waiting for the trigger/cue word is isolated and only works locally and does not collect or transmit what it’s hearing. Once you trigger it, the second mechanism comes in and then it’s fair game as whatever it hears can be collected and shared.

        Having your phone listen to you all the time and transmit the info will cause an obvious drain on your battery and data. If that truly was the case, mobile security professionals would’ve sounded the alarm by now.