Google says Nest's secret microphone has "never been a secret" – TechCrunch



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Google There is absolutely no concern about the secret microphone of your Nest Secure Smart Home Hub that he did not tell you about. Not at all. Just an oversight, said Google. No need to be alarmed. All is It's okay.

When Google announced earlier this month that its Nest Secure would be doubled as a Google assistant, it caused anger. Google had not told anyone that the security hub had a microphone on the inside to start. The microphone was not listed in the initial list of technical specifications, nor did the company announced the integration of Google Assistant. (It's there now.)

After Google, owner of Nest, realized that its customers did not like being cheated or their privacy was violated, the company swallowed its pride and acknowledged his fault.

"The built-in microphone has never been designed to be a secret and should have been included in the technical specifications," said Google spokesman Nicol Addison in an email to TechCrunch . "It was a mistake on our part. The microphone has never been activated and is activated only when users activate the option specifically. "

Business Insider first announced the news.

Google has stated that security systems "often use microphones to provide sound-based features and include a microphone to" potentially provide additional functionality to our users in the future, such as the ability to to detect broken glass ".

No doubt it is an intelligent idea, if not terribly executed.

You can forgive a company for not wanting to drop its own announcement of future products, but do not disclose the inclusion of a microphone in a home installed device is very bad. And the tech giants could not know the worst moment because they are trying to recover any ounce of respect from consumers who care about their privacy.

You wonder how many other devices you have at home – and elsewhere in the world – that could be used to spy on you.

Just this week, Singapore Airlines found itself in the hot water after passing passengers discovered cameras embedded in the in-flight entertainment systems. The airline said in a tweet that the cameras were included as standard by the original manufacturer and that there was "no intention to activate or develop camera-based features".

No package does not mean "never". And, just like the Nest device, the customer would have no way of knowing if it was used anyway.

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