Google Chrome can listen in on your conversations

[NickStone]

Developer finds Chrome eavesdropping bug

Any computer running the Chrome browser can be subverted to eavesdrop on conversations happening around it, claims a developer.

Read the full article here

[SteveRiley]

What does Google say?

"The security of our users is a top priority, and this feature was designed with security and privacy in mind," said a Google spokesperson. "We've re-investigated and still believe there is no immediate threat, since a user must first enable speech recognition for each site that requests it."

"The feature is in compliance with the current W3C specification, and we continue to work on improvements," he added

This is weasel-wording and buck-passing of the highest order. "Screw you, $USER, we're waiting for a standards body to tell us what to do." A standards body? Google is the evilest company in the universe.

[life0riley]

Developer finds Chrome eavesdropping bug



Read the full article here

I don't have my mic plugged in unless I need it.

[Feathers McGraw]

Google is the evilest company in the universe.

Hahaha

Imagine you're in a room, and in walk Bernard Francis Law, Bashar Al-Assad and Kim Jong Un.

Is Google still the most evil company in the universe?

[richb]

Provided it is an opt in, and a clear warning is given when you opt in, I do not see the problem. It then is a user choice, and forewarned of the consequences, it is the users responsibility and choice. Too many issues these days do not recognize personal responsibility.

[GreyGeek]

What does Google say?


This is weasel-wording and buck-passing of the highest order. "Screw you, $USER, we're waiting for a standards body to tell us what to do." A standards body? Google is the evilest company in the universe.

Weasel-wording indeed! However, I'd rank Google the SECOND evilest company in the world. Their dirty tricks probably began even before 1994, and the Steve Barkto episode was probably the beginning of Microsoft's digital terrorists, a.k.a. as "Technical Evangelists". (There are two kinds -- MS always trots out the good kind when asked.) Microsoft, is #1 for patenting "Legal Intercept" and then buying Skype and replacing their supernode setup with a LINUX server farm on which they installed "Legal Intercept". Hello? Does anything think that it isn't being used by NSA and who knows who else, warrant or not? I could go on and on ...

My grip with Windows isn't really against Windows. Except for Win95, and NT4, and a little of Win2K, Windows on my computers have been relatively stable and I don't recall getting a single malware infection since Win387 (or what ever the version before Win3.0 was called - I can't remember). Of course, like any developer, I watched my system like a hawk. I have an Internet Explorer T-shirt in my closet. It was awarded to the first 10,000 who downloaded the first release of that browser. But, it didn't take me long to revert to Netscape. I have never gotten an infection while running Linux and I can probably count the total number of crashes I've had since 1998 on the fingers of one hand, even if a couple are amputated.

My gripe is with the corrupt business practices that Gates & Ballmer exhibited. I first became aware of their evil when I read a Dr Dobbs Journal article in which was revealed to contain an install trap the tested for DRDOS (I was running 4.0) and refused to install if it was running instead of MSDOS. DR DOBBS replaced the section of code with NOP's and retried the install. It installed and ran beautifully, in fact better than it would under MSDOS. From then on I kept an eye on MS's dirty tricks. They haven't disappointed. From Barkto to OLPC to OOXML, to ..... you folks can probably remember more dirty tricks than I can. Just google "Microsoft dirty tricks".

BUT, the desktop wars are over and it isn't worth my time to make an extensive list all the dirty tricks that Gates and Ballmer foisted on the public and their competition. The way things are going, except for large scale corporate use, the era of desktop, laptops and notebooks is coming to an end. I give it ten years, maybe 15. The last will die when they wear out and there are no replacement parts.

[SteveRiley]

Imagine you're in a room, and in walk Bernard Francis Law, Bashar Al-Assad and Kim Jong Un.

Is Google still the most evil company in the universe?

None of the three individuals you mentioned is a company. So, yes, Google is still the evilest company.

Dude. Really? You gotta try harder

[Feathers McGraw]

Steve, you missed the joke! You'd be in bad company if those guys were in the room

[SteveRiley]

Don't I feel stupid! Totally missed that one. Feathers wins!

[Feathers McGraw]

Yaaaay