Acoustic mirror definition and history
Chapter 1

The myth of the listening wall

Chapter 2

The battle for the data keys

Chapter 3

The secret stories of metadata

Chapter 4

Reclaiming the digital castle

Ch 1 · The myth of the listening wall
futura

futura The hidden tracking business behind cheap smart televisions

1h ago

futura
Friendly Little Ears
BETA

futura Tap the hidden microphones to discover who owns the data your smart home collects.

1h ago

futura

futura The Cost of Cheap TVs

That cheap Vizio TV on your wall scans every pixel of your screen to pay for its own low price tag

1h ago

futura
The active listening scare

futura The Federal Trade Commission revealed Cox Media Group exploited surveillance fears by selling marked-up email lists instead of actual voice data.

1h ago

futura
Quiz

In August 2026, which federal agency finalized a $930,000 settlement against Cox Media Group over its deceptive 'Active Listening' marketing claims?

1h ago

futura
Quiz

What did the FTC discover Cox Media Group's 'Active Listening' service was actually doing instead of recording voice data from smart home devices?

1h ago

futura
Fun Fact

Smart TV prices: Many smart TV brands sell hardware near manufacturing cost because they make continuous profits by selling your viewing data to advertisers.

1h ago

futura
The illusion of consent

futura Smart home devices must obtain explicit opt-in permissions to legally record private audio.

1h ago

futura
Quiz

Under Section 5 of the FTC Act, what category of commercial activity is the FTC authorized to prevent, which includes deceptive privacy claims?

1h ago

futura
Quiz

In its 2026 active listening settlement, the FTC ruled that clicking through which of the following does NOT constitute legal opt-in consent for harvesting home voice data?

1h ago

futura
Glossary
acoustic mirror (noun)
A concave structure designed to reflect and concentrate sound waves to a specific focal point. British physicist William Sansome Tucker designed massive concrete versions at Denge in the early 1930s.

1h ago

futura
Quiz

What is the term for companies that specialize in collecting, aggregating, and selling personal consumer data from various smart devices without interacting with consumers directly?

1h ago

futura
Quiz

Which of the following is a primary reason data brokers value data collected from smart home appliances?

1h ago

futura
Gossip

Which smart home feature is most worth sharing your data for?

1h ago

futura
Quiz

Why are smart TV manufacturers able to sell high-definition television sets at or near the physical cost of manufacturing them?

1h ago

futura
Quiz

What background technology do smart TVs use to identify what is on your screen by matching pixels to a database, allowing them to log your viewing habits?

1h ago