Is Google spying on you via your computer’s microphone?
Reports have emerged suggesting that Google may be doing so via Chromium. Rick Falkvinge, the founder of the Pirate Party, claims in a blog post that Google has been secretly downloading audio listeners onto every computer that runs Chromium which transmits audio data back to Google.
It all started when a bug report noted that “When I start Chromium, it downloads something,” followed by status information that incudes the lines “Microphone: Yes” and “Audio Capture Allowed: Yes”.
[quote type=”border_left”]Effectively, this means that Google had taken itself the right to listen to every conversation in every room that runs Chrome somewhere, without any kind of consent from the people eavesdropped on, Falkvinge says.[/quote]
The code is downloaded to activate a feature that enables a search function when you say “Ok, Google,” explains Falvinge.
Google has quietly introduced a switch that allows users to opt out to solve the problem and released a response claiming that the feature is actually opt-in, not opt-out as it isn’t turned on by default, contradicting Falkvinge’s accusations.
