TV maker found unlawfully tracking viewing habits

TV maker found unlawfully tracking viewing habits

The US Federal Trade Commission has found that Vizio’s smart TV technology had captured data on what was being viewed on screen and transmitted it to the firm’s servers. The data was then being sold to third parties. The FTC said the data collection began in February 2014 and affected around 11 million televisions. Vizio has said the data could not be matched up to individuals. The FTC verified this by saying that Vizio ‘never paired viewing data with personally identifiable information such as name or contact information’.

The practices challenged by the government related only to the use of viewing data in the ‘aggregate’ to create summary reports measuring viewing audiences or behaviours.

FTC explained in a statement that the settlement stopped Vizio’s unauthorised tracking, and makes clear that smart TV makers should get people’s consent before collecting and sharing television viewing information. The company has been ordered to delete the data it collected.

www.bbc.co.uk/technews (7th February 17)

127 US Technology Firms Oppose Trump ban

127 US Technology Firms Oppose Trump ban

127 US technology firms have signed a brief opposing President Trump’s immigration ban. The legal document states that the ban ‘inflicts significant harm’ on their businesses.

The amicus brief allows parties to not directly involved in a case but who feel affected by it, to give a view. It was filed in Washington on Sunday and also includes Apple, Facebook and Microsoft as signatories.

Trump’s executive order halted the entire US refugee programme for 120 days, indefinitely banned Syrian refugees and suspended permission to enter the Us for all nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries. There is currently a nationwide temporary restraining order in place, which was issued on Friday by a federal judge in Washington.

www.bbc.co.uk/technews (7th February 17)

Skype users to Update by 1st March

Skype users to Update by 1st March

Microsoft has announced that users will have to update to the new version of Skype for desktop in order to continue using the program beyond February.

From the 1st March, people will no longer be able to log in to version 7.16 (and older builds) of Skype for Windows desktop, or version 7.18 (and older) of Skype for Mac. The update was only announced on the 3rd February.

In a blog post, Microsoft wrote, ‘At Skype, we’re committed to creating the best possible app experience for our users. This is why we’ve been focusing our efforts on transitioning Skype from peer-to-peer to a modern, mobile-friendly cloud architecture.’

www.independent.co.uk/technews (7th February 17)