Automatic content recognition

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Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) is a feature in certain kinds of devices manufacturers use to collect consumer data, visuals and audio, at periodic intervals, which grants the manufacturing companies access to the private data automatically.

How it works

ACR allows the manufacturing companies of Smart TVs access to information like:

1. Content being viewed
2. Connected devices
3. Time and date of the viewing
4. Duration of the content
5. Specific sensors it has access to

ACR is an opt-in feature buried beneath the EULA, turned on by default.

Why it is a problem

Privacy

The harvested data is used to push targeted content to the consumer such as polls and advertisements,and it is also often sold without knowledge. Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) has become a four billion dollar industry, projected to double in value by 2030 to 10 billion USD.

Due to the nature of a majority of smart devices, the kind of data being stored is usually sensitive. Devices that are always on, for example Amazon Echo, Apple HomePods, and Google Nest models, are constantly in a state of monitoring. Though they claim they only begin monitoring after they hear a keyword, which can be misfired. The corresponding apps to control the devices prompt a lot of personal information, such as email, address, location, contacts and sometimes photos.

A study revealed that outdoor security cameras collect 50% more data than smart home apps.

Data Collected by Outdoor Security Cameras: 

1. Email addresses
2. Phone numbers
3. Payment information
4. Location

Data Collected by Indoor Security Cameras: 

1. Email addresses
2. Phone Numbers
3. User IDs
4. Device IDs
5. Purchase history
6. Audio

These lists aren't exhaustive.

The gathered data then has the possibility of being intercepted at three different points:

1. The device which hosts the app
2. During the data transmission of the device and cloud
3. In the cloud

Examples

Siri class action lawsuit listening to users even when the device was not in use

Adobes limited royalty free licence to train AI on user content for generation and content recognition purposes

Smart TV companies using ACR to determine what ads to serve and sell to other brokers