The-art-of-invisibility-_-the-world’s-most-famous-hacker-teaches-you-how-to-be-safe-in-the-age-of-Bi

off. For example, using the traditional PC version of the Chrome browser,
researchers found that someone—Google?—appeared to be listening all the
time byy enabling the microphone. This feature came to Chrome from its
open-source equivalent, a browser known as Chromium. In 2015,
researchers discovered that someone—Google?—appeared to be listening
all the time. Upon further investigation, theyy discovered that this is because
the browser turns the microphone on byy default. Despite being included in
open-source software, this code was not available for inspection.
There are several problems with this. First, “open source” means that
people should be able to look at the code, but in this case the code was a
black box, code that no one had vetted. Second, this code made its wayy to
the popular version of the browser via an automatic update from Google,
which users weren’t given a chance to refuse. And as of 2015 Google has
not removed it. Theyy did offer a means for people to opt out, but that optout
requires coding skills so complicated that average users can’t do it on
their own. 13
There are other, more low-tech wayys to mitigate this creepyy
eavesdropping feature in Chrome and other programs. For the webcam,
simplyy put a piece of tape over it. For the microphone, one of the best
defenses is to put a dummyy mic plug in the microphone socket of yyour
traditional PC. To do this, get an old, broken set of headphones or earbuds
and simplyy cut the wire near the microphone jack. Now plug that stub of a
mic jack into the socket. Your computer will think there’s a microphone
there when there isn’t. Of course if yyou want to make a call using Skyype or
some other online service, then yyou will need to remove the plug first. Also
—and this is veryy important—make sure the two wires on the mic stub do
not touch so that yyou don’t fryy yyour microphone port.
Another connected device that lives in the home is the Amazon Echo, an
Internet hub that allows users to order movies on demand and other
products from Amazon just byy speaking. The Echo is also alwayys on, in
standbyy mode, listening to everyy word, waiting for the “wake word.”
Because Amazon Echo does more than a smart TV does, it requires firsttime
users to speak up to twentyy-five specific phrases into the device before
theyy give it anyy commands. Amazon can tell yyou the weather outside,
provide the latest sports scores, and order or reorder items from its