[criley2]

"Call me tinfoil I don't care, but don't invite me to your homes either if the place is going to be bugged, I'm good."

The funniest part of this opinion is that 95% of the time I hear it, I say, can you take the bugged device out of your pocket before you talk about not being near bugs?

Always with the iPhones and Androids, even though they have the same exact technology for always listening, activating, and sending your data to a database for collection.

Very rarely, they'll pull out a dumbphone and that's respectable since generally only governments bug those, and only once in my entire life have I heard someone criticizing bugs actually not walk with a cellphone at all. Now there's someone who demonstrates their convictions with their actions.

[autoexec]

> Always with the iPhones and Androids, even though they have the same exact technology for always listening, activating, and sending your data to a database for collection.

I think there's a fair distinction to be made between a cell phone which you can configure to not listen to your environment 24/7 and even put into airplane mode so it isn't sending data vs intentionally bugging your entire house.

It is certainly possible that my cell phone is lying to me when I tell it not to monitor my every word and it tells me that it isn't, but at that point the fault is on Android and Apple. If I choose to bug my house and send the intimate details of my life to Amazon that's 100% on me.

It's also true that while these days a cell phone is basically required to function in modern society, a smart speaker is not.

[criley2]

Why is airplane mode a fair distinction? You can unplug a listening device or put it on a timer plug so its only active for certain hours.

If it's possible that your cellphone could lie to you and monitor you, then it's equally possible your smart speaker could lie to you and monitor you

Both are managed by the same firms, with the same rules. If one can, both can. If one can't, both can't.

And just because one bug is required for modern life and another bug is not required, doesn't make one bug more acceptable than the other. A bug is a bug is a bug. If you care about bugs, then carrying one around is hilarious silly. Better to re-align your morals so that you are not hypocritically violating them.

[calcifer]

Yes, because you are either living off the grid in an underground bunker, or you're be a twenty something techie who buys every new device. Middle ground, what's that?

[criley2]

What even is this comment? If you care about bugs, don't carry one around. Smartphones are beloved by intelligence agencies for their ease of access. Most devices running today are full of unreported zero days up to and including "hot mic" exploits that are routinely used.

If you care, you care. If you don't, don't pretend lol.

[criley2]

I'll add current events to this reply: Donald Trump's use of android cellphones is widely believed by analysts in multiple countries to be listened into by both allied and hostile nations.

He constantly uses an android device and it's believed that France, Israel, Russia and others listen into every call he makes.

Just saying, bugs are bugs are bugs.