usa – PSafe Blog https://www.psafe.com/en/blog Articles and news about Mobile Security, Android, Apps, Social Media and Technology in general. Thu, 19 Jan 2023 14:49:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3 https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/cropped-psafe_blog_purple-shield-32x32.png usa – PSafe Blog https://www.psafe.com/en/blog 32 32 <![CDATA[Burger King’s Invasive Google Home Hack]]> https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/burger-kings-invasive-google-home-hack/ Sat, 13 May 2017 16:00:56 +0000 https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=11003 With its newest piece of advertising, Burger King was nothing if not creative. In a recent series of commercials, Burger King asked a question of Google Home. When Google Home answered, the 15-second spot was extended and the device answered the question posed by the actor in the commercial: “OK, Google, what is the Whopper Burger?” Google Home looks up a Wikipedia entry for the Whopper and then lists the ingredients in the sandwich, as requested.

Google Home is becoming a more and more necessary as our homes fill up with smart objects. Google Home and Google Home’s Google Assistant help to sync up your devices, connecting your music, your Google search, and even your daily schedule to keep you organized. But do you want your Google Home talking to everyone who asks it questions? Even the friendly Burger King employee on the ad?

Read more: Here Are the Best Features of Google Home

Reaction

Some trolls were not happy with the commercial and immediately tried to make it backfire. Wikipedia’s Whopper page was soon changed to include Whopper “ingredients” like toenail clippings, small child, and cyanide. Wikipedia had to lock down the page.

Controversy

Google also wasn’t too pleased with Burger King’s ad. Apparently, they weren’t involved in the production of the commercial series, and after they aired, Google updated their voice recognition algorithms to ignore the commercial. Specifically, Google stopped Google Home from recognizing the first actor’s voice.

But Burger King wouldn’t let its commercials be defeated that easily. In response to Google’s tweaked voice recognition, it dubbed the commercial series with another actor who asked the same question. 

Command Devices

With devices like Google Home and Alexa becoming more popular in people’s homes, issues like the Burger King commercial might become more commonplace. For example, a radio host in San Diego recently used Amazon Echo to order doll houses for several residents.

Additionally, as these devices connect smart-connected things in your home — like locks — added security certainly seems like it will need to play an important role. The Burger King ad could be considered a clever way to change up the same old TV spot or an annoying overstep.

 

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<![CDATA[Is That Drone Illegal? Drone Laws Revealed]]> https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/drone-illegal-drone-laws-revealed/ Mon, 24 Apr 2017 18:00:22 +0000 https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/?p=10252 Commercial drones are a very divisive topic. But whether you’re pro-drone or against them, everyone seems to be wondering if they’re being watched. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does have regulations on the usage of unmanned aircrafts (UAV), but the privacy of U.S. citizens is a legitimate concern. Many Americans still aren’t fully informed on Drone Laws. In 2017, over 700,000 drones will be sold within the U.S., so everyone needs to start reading up.

The Breakdown of Drone Laws

While the FAA’s regulations on commercial drones are still being finalized, the federal government does require commercial drones to abide by certain rules. These FAA-registered UAVs can’t weigh less than 55 pounds or fly higher than 400 feet in altitude. Flying over 100 miles per hour is also prohibited. They must only fly during daylight hours, including half an hour before sunrise and after sunset. Finally, a commercial drone’s operator can’t be younger than 16 years old, and they must have a valid flying certificate. Beyond these federal parameters, Drone Laws are decided at the state level, so they can vary wildly from place to place.

Read More: How Drones Present New Hacking Opportunities

Privacy Concerns for American Citizens

According to a 1942 ruling, if you own a house, your property rights extend to a height of 83 feet above your roof. Of course, they weren’t dealing with commercial drones 70 years ago. The law came about when a farmer said that military aircrafts were upsetting his chickens. Now, the times have changed, but the rules haven’t caught up.

These days, many homeowners feel that commercial drones are an intrusion on their privacy. But unless a drone is flying above a military base, a national park, a federal building, or an airport, it’s free to go wherever it pleases. Certain states offer protection to their citizens. If you can prove that a commercial drone was harassing you, either by flying over your home or taking unauthorized pictures, it’s possible to make a case against the company. However, it’s often difficult to gather adequate proof to convince a court.

Hopefully, by the end of 2017, Drone Laws will have caught up with today’s world. With big companies like Google and Amazon pushing for greater freedom in their drone usage, it’s likely that the FAA will make changes to its legislation. But until then, American citizens are left with a lot of unanswered questions regarding their privacy and the future of the USA’s commercial drones.

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