Privacy @lemmy.dbzer0.com Blaze @lemmy.zip 1d ago

PSA: Your Headphones May Be Spying on You and Selling Your Data Without You Knowing

www.headphonesty.com PSA: Your Headphones May Be Spying on You and Selling Your Data Without You Knowing

Your headphones are listening, and not just to your music.

32 comments

My 40 year old Yamahas aren't.
I am pretty sure mine are not doing that. Glory to 3.5mm!
The privacy issues come from the app, not the headphones. Don't use the app and you're fine.

General privacy rules apply: any data you provide will be stored and sold. If you tell an app your height, weight, etc, the company will sell that. That shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

The only interesting bit here is Bluetooth tracking, meaning people can see a unique identifier by being near a Bluetooth device. This is true for all Bluetooth devices (and honestly any wireless protocol besides point to point wireless), so not unique to headphones. If your phone connects to cell towers, your headphones aren't going to be the ones breaking your cover...
- Bluetooth tracking is also bs. Nobody is walking around in pairing mode
  
  You don’t need to be in pairing mode for Bluetooth to be able to track you. That’s not how beacons work.
  
  https://www.inpixon.com/technology/standards/bluetooth-low-energy
  
  I don't know too much about Bluetooth, but my understanding is that the MAC address doesn't change, so if that's ever transmitted, you can be tracked.
  
  Someone will have to log it though, so I don't think that's nearly as interesting as cell towers tracking you nonstop.
Every device you have that has an app is harvesting ypur data to varying extents.

Sony's trick is hiding some configuration options in its app so you have to install it to make changes.

It the app that is phoning home, not the actual device.
- Most headphones work fine with just Bluetooth.
  
  I've purchased a few devices in my day that will not work without an app and/or an account. I cry for 5 minutes about what a fucking dystopian future we live in and how I've lost almost all excitement for new tech and then send it back to where it came from.
  
  This.
  
  JBL pods manual even says that you need the app to enable the noise cancelling, but if you tap twice it enables it.
Wired chads just keep winning, in so many ways.
- They had to remove the ports to nerf them.
  
  I'm still mad about it personally.
Jesus Christ, is anything safe anymore? I'm about to break out my Discman and start burning CDs.
- The disc burning software sends musicbrainz IDs to the man
  
  This is why cassette is superior.
- A couple of years ago, I found my old minidisc player and I've been using that for music. There's a FLOSS burning application made by the minidisc community that lets you burn discs from your browser. I've been enjoying my low tech music listening, knowing it can't be tracked by some algorithm. 💽
  
  Can you link more info on this burning app please? I am interested in getting into MD.
PSA: everything is.

News at 11.
Flimsy ass clickbait article. Wrong and misleading on so many levels
- Par for the course in the "all heightened anxiety all the time!" clickbait a.i.-powered era.
No, they don't and they can't even explode close to or inside my ear due to not being powered by lithium battery.

32 comments