"Is Your TV Spying On You?"

Did you hear that noise? It was the sound of all the paranoid conspiracy theorists flinging off their tinfoil hats.

That's right gang--all those crazies who insist they're being spied upon are right!

Samsung admits (hidden deep within the fine print) that while we watch our TVs, our TVs are watching us--or more accurately, listening in on our personal conversations.

Yep--all that pillow talk you and your significant other are having in the "privacy" of your bedroom are not only heard, but recorded and distributed to mysterious third parties.

Outrageous? You betcha. Makes us so angry we just might turn the stupid thing off.

According to ABC News Australia: "The company is warning people as part of its privacy policy that anything they say around their television will be 'among the data captured and transmitted to a third party' because of a voice recognition feature."

Oh, and if the transmission is not encrypted? "A Smart Hacker could conceivably turn your TV into an eavesdropping device," Samsung warns. (Don't look now, but we're thinkin' Samsung already has).

Privacy advocate, Katherine Albrecht, Ed.D., cautions consumers on the impact new technologies have on their civil liberties: "The explosion of new technologies that enable the tracking and monitoring of individuals has moved faster than any legal system can adapt." It appears it's up to the consumers to protect themselves.

While TPTB might like us to keep this stuff under our (tinfoil?) hats, we believe you have a right to know.

Bottom line? Buying a 'Smart TV'  may be a dumb move.

A wise man once said: "Anyone who makes you choose between privacy and security wants you to have neither." -- Cory Doctorow, writer

"For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore, whatsoever you have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light and that which you have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops"  (Luke 12:2-3).

News:

• Associated Press: Obama proposes war authorization against Islamic State; "militants could pose threat to US homeland," he says.
• KFI Radio: Boston, already struggling under record snowfall amounts, expecting two more snowstorms this week.
• Moscow Times: "Russia Would See US Moves to Arm Ukraine as Declaration of War; Could Spark Escalation of Conflict," Russian defense analyst says.