1984: Facebook Getting Ready To Release ‘Portal’ Hardware That Will Mine Your Home 24×7 For Video And Sound

In George Orwell’s 1984, the oppressive rulers of Oceania use devices called telescreens to closely monitor and repress citizens.

“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:15-17 (KJV)

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Internet is filled with funny memes and videos of people asking their in-home ‘personal assistants’ like Alexa and Echo funny questions. But while you’re chuckling over the next one you see posted, just remember that you’re laughing as you watch the One World surveillance system that will eventually be known as the Mark Of The Beast coming to life in stages. Just as the Day Of The Lord is a period of time beginning from the Rapture of the Church to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ that culminates in an actual day, so the Mark Of The Beast is a system whose crown jewel will be an implantable mark. Facebook had 2.07 billion monthly active users as of September 30, 2017, and now they want in-home surveillance. Hey, Alexa…are you ready for what comes next?

Now Facebook looks set to follow in the Party’s footsteps by putting its own firm’s microphones and cameras into people’s homes. The social network is planning to release its first ever piece of consumer hardware which will be called Portal and cost a whopping $499 (£368), a website called Cheddar has claimed.

The device will feature a 15 inch screen, a wide-angle camera with facial recognition and microphones to allow voice control. It’s expected to use facial recognition to allow people to log into their accounts without having to type in passwords and will be dedicated to video chat. The gadget has been designed by a shadowy Facebook department called Building 8 that’s also working on mind-reading technology.

‘Rather than position the device as a smart assistant akin to Amazon’s Echo speakers, Facebook intends to pitch Portal as a way for families and friends to stay connected through video chatting and other social features,’ the website wrote.

‘Facebook plans a formal product introduction in early May at its annual developer conference and hopes to ship the device in the second half of 2018.’

Apart from the potentially grave privacy implications of letting Facebook’s cameras and microphones into your home, there’s another clear fault with the gadget: it costs almost as much as an iPhone or iPad but probably does a lot less.

Although Facebook has not officially commented, Andrew Bosworth, the company’s vice president of augmented and virtual reality, wrote on Twitter: ‘Can’t comment on speculation but can confirm it’s going to be an exciting year for AR/VR’. source

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