Google Nest: The built-in microphone has never been disclosed to users



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In a blog post earlier this month, the company announced The Google Assistant is deployed in Nest Guard so users can ask for information such as weather or traffic. The blog article acknowledged that the gadget had a microphone – information that was not clear to users.

Previously, Google had revealed the existence of the microphone in any of its product descriptions, but had stated that it was not a "secret".

"The built-in microphone in the device was never intended to be a secret and should have been included in the technical specifications – it's an error on our part," CNN Business said on Wednesday. Google spokesperson.

The microphone is not enabled by default and can only be enabled when users enable the option. A Google spokesman said the microphone was built into the device, providing users with additional features, such as the ability to detect broken glass during a break-in.

"Security systems often include microphones to provide features that rely on sound detection," the spokesman said.

users sharing their concerns about Google being not transparent on the mic on social media. Business Insider was the first to announce the news.
Electronic Frontier Foundation shared its reaction via a tweet: "No product should have a secret microphone, whether it's on or off, it's just a bad design of security, @nest."
Google's Nest Secure device.
Last month, Google said that a bug had affected some of its indoor and outdoor Nest cameras. Because of this problem, the cameras behaved as if someone was accessing live viewing mode – turning on the green light – while they were not. The problem has since been fixed.
The news comes at a time when users are increasingly concerned about their privacy as a result of a series of scandals and recent revelations about how high tech companies collect and use data.
Google, which bought Nest for $ 3.2 billion in 2014, was subjected to a thorough review to determine the amount of information collected about users.

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