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ISSUES: Privacy
Chapter 3: ‘The Internet of Things’
Why your smart TV is the perfect way to spy
on you
By CaraMcGoogan
Tips to secure your
iPhone from hackers
1. Use a PIN or fingerprint security
Locking your screenwill protect your sensitive data and apps frommeddling.
2) Use a longer passphrase
Go to your settings app, then ‘Touch ID & Passcode’ and turn ‘Simple
Passcode’ off. This will allow you to create a longer and more complex
passcode with upper and lowercase letters, numbers and other symbols.
3) Activate self-destruct
You can tell your phone to delete all data if it thinks someone is trying to
break in. Under the same page on Settings you can enable ‘erase data’ – this
will wipe the phone clean after ten incorrect guesses at the PIN.
4) Increase your privacy settings
Go into your settings app and then the ‘privacy’ tab. Here you will be able to
see which apps have which privileges, and turn them off/on.
5) Turn off notifications
The ability to see a summary of notifications on the lock screen is handy, but
if that gives away personal or confidential data then you could be in trouble.
Remember, it will show the contents of messages you receive, your calendar
for that day and various other things.
6) Disable Siri
Siri can leak data even when your phone is locked. Go to settings, then
‘Touch ID & passcode’ and set ‘Allow access when locked’ on Siri to Off.
7) Type it for yourself
AutoFill is a handy feature that does exactly what it says on the tin: any
time that Safari sees a box asking for your name, username, password or
credit card details, it fills them in for you. This is fine, unless someone else
happens to be using your phone. To turn it off, go to settings, then general
and ‘Passwords & AutoFill’.
I
n a world of Internet-connected
devices that could be targeted by
hackers in a number of ways, it has
become common parlance to hear of
smartphones and computers being
hacked and turned into spying tools.
But recently another common device
has been added to the roster of possible
monitors: smart TVs.
First came the news that Vizio had
been tracking customers through
their TVs. Then WikiLeaks’ latest raft of
documents alleged the CIA had created
tools to turn smart TVs into bugging
devices.
While the news shouldn’t come as a
surprise, given the endless warnings
that our Internet-connected devices
can easily be hacked or used to watch
us, it adds another piece of technology
for us to worry about when thinking of
our privacy.
TVs like mobile phones often betray our
most intimate lives, often being located
in the centre of our homes. They are often
fitted with cameras and microphones, as
well as internal memories, which can be
used tomonitor what we’re doing, saying
and watching.
As a newer Internet-connected device,
smart TVs are less likely to receive proper
security support. This is in part because
users don’t expect them, because of the
variety of different operating systems,
and as security isn’t traditionally the
remit of TVmanufacturers. Added to this,
users are less likely to use best security
practices when it comes to their TV, such
as changing passwords and regularly
updating the software.
What is a smart TV?
Smart TVs can connect to the internet
to access a range of services such as
video streaming, games and apps. They
are distinct from traditional TVs which
require a set-top box to access on-
demand programming and additional
functions.
Who could be spying on you
through your TV?
Recent news has shown that everyone
from manufacturers to advertisers to the
intelligence services could be watching
you through your TV.
Fears that smart TVs could be watching
their owners first arose back in 2015
when one of Samsung’s privacy policies
warned that all voice recognition data
would be passed to a third party. “Be
aware that if your spoken words include
personal or other sensitive information,
that information will be among the data
captured and transmitted to a third party
through your voice recognition,” it said.
Then, earlier this year Vizio was fined $2.2
million (£1.8 million) for tracking users’
viewing habits without them knowing
and sharing the information.
As well as the manufacturers monitoring
viewers, it has now been revealed
that intelligence agencies and law
enforcement could be watching citizens
