With Their New Nest Hub Max, Google Is Able To Conduct 24-Hour Per Day Audio And Video Surveillance Of Everything You Say And Do In Your Own Home
The oldest Christian end times movie I can ever recall watching after I become saved back in 1991 was ‘A Thief In The Night‘, first released in 1972, the original ‘Left Behind’ movie. From there I watched a whole slew of these movies up to and including the great ‘Apocalypse‘ series from the LaLonde brothers featuring the 1999 release of ‘Revelation‘. In that movie, there is a great scene where they show the Mark of the Beast being administered through VR, virtual reality goggles. Say hello to Google’s new Nest Hub Max.
“And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 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.” Revelation 13:14,15 (KJV)
So here we are in 2019 and guess what? The Mark of the Beast system, while the world waits for the arrival of the Beast, is crazy popular and in right now the homes of untold hundreds of millions of people and growing by the day. Turns out, it wasn’t such a hard sell for them to do after all. In fact, the people demand it, and when the latest and greatest version is rolled out, it is eagerly snapped up. Fun fact, Christians buy just as much of this stuff as non-Christians do. So tell me again, all your post toasties, how brave you would be in the Tribulation, and how much you would stand up to Antichrist while refusing his Mark? 🤔 Yeah, good one.
Google is always listening. Now it’s watching, too, with the Nest Hub Max
FROM GULF TECH NEWS: When I walk by a Hub Max, the Google Assistant greets me on its screen, “Good afternoon, Geoffrey.” This wizardry is made possible by facial recognition. The $230 Nest Hub Max offers a glimpse of how this controversial tech might be used in our homes – if people aren’t too turned off by the privacy implications.
Living with Google’s latest creation for a few days embodied the cognitive dissonance of being a gadget guy in 2019. You can appreciate the fun and wonder of new technology that you also know brings new concerns. I kept wondering: Do any of these camera functions make it worth bringing face surveillance inside my home? Despite some applaudable privacy protections from Google, my family never got to a yes.
The Hub Max is a larger 10-inch version of Google’s popular Nest Hub countertop computer, which people (including me) use as a digital picture frame, speaker, kitchen TV and smart home controller. It’s a solid upgrade for those functions, with a sharp screen and impressive sound for such a small box.
But it’s the addition of a wide-angle camera that everyone will be talking about. When the smaller Hub debuted in 2018, Google crowed about how it didn’t include one – unlike Facebook’s poorly received Portal and Amazon’s Echo Show, which raised eyebrows with a feature that lets you “drop in” via camera any time on select friends. (Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
The Hub Max takes those camera controversies and says, “hold my beer.” Rival Amazon Alexa can recognize different people’s voices, but not faces. What made Google think now was a good time to go there? It’s a sign both that Google thinks it has better privacy protections – and that consumers are, incorrectly in my estimation, more trusting of Google than of other tech giants.
First, the camera can be used for basic video calls. Say, “OK, Google, video call James,” and it connects via Google’s Duo chat app on a phone, laptop or another Hub Max. Like the Facebook Portal, the Hub Max’s wide-angle camera pans around to track your movements and tries to keep everyone’s faces in the frame.
Next, the camera powers gesture commands. While it’s looking for faces, the Hub Max is also keeping an eye out for your hands, which can serve as nonverbal, non-touchscreen commands – in other words, sign language. For now, these are limited to “play” and “pause” music by flashing a palm, but Google says it’s exploring more.
Finally, the Hub Max can serve as a security camera, letting you peek in on a stream of what’s going on at home. And like other Google Nest cameras, you can opt in to having the Hub Max send alerts when it identifies familiar faces. With this, you could always know exactly what time the kids got home . . . until they figure this out and unplug the darn thing.
Is all of that cool, or just creepy? The Hub Max reminded me, at times, of a baby HAL 9000 from “2001: A Space Odyssey.” The extra step of the Assistant knowing you’re there even when you don’t interact with it shifts the power balance in a subtle but important way.
Google also built some visual cues and controls for the camera. There’s a physical button you can press to cut the camera. A green light turns on whenever the security camera is live broadcasting, though not while the other camera-sensing features are running.
For the face-matching functions, which require the camera to be always looking, Google borrowed a page from the Apple playbook. All the processing to match your face happens on the device itself. Those images are deleted immediately, and Google says it does not keep a record of when it identifies faces. (This is similar to how Face ID works on an iPhone – your face never leaves the iPhone.) Google has also pledged to “keep your video footage, audio recordings, and home environment sensor readings separate from advertising.”
As a privacy guy, I’m glad Google is taking those steps. Keeping face data local makes it less likely to be stolen or misused by police, marketers or data spies – if you trust Google to maintain its data standards and security precautions.
But with Google, it’s always important to ask what the company is getting out of the deal. Your face matches may stay on the Hub Max, but any interaction with the Assistant (like tapping on the screen or issuing a voice command) gets added to your Google profile which can, by default, be used to target you with ads. The Hub Max also gets you to use more Google services, like YouTube, search and Duo, all of which also add to its valuable profile of you.
The concerns only multiply from here. Today the face features are only accessible by Google, but what happens when it begins letting other apps and services access your face? Or when the tech also detects emotion in a face?
Ultimately, the Hub Max suffers from the same affliction as many new Google products: It’s frighteningly advanced technology that hasn’t identified the problem in our lives that needs solving. None of the camera functions the Hub Max offers today make it worth bringing surveillance inside my house. Google and all the other companies pushing face tech are going to have to keep working on uses that cross the chasm from creepy to can’t-live-without-it. READ MORE
Google Nest Hub Max | Unboxing & Full Features Tour
Unboxing the Google Nest Hub Max, including setup and a full tour/review of the best features. We explore the new wide-angle camera, sound quality, Google Assistant features and every inch of this 10-inch smart home display.
Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last days before the Rapture of the Church
- HOW TO DONATE:Click here to view our GoFundMe page
When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. Even all the way to South Africa. We even restarted our weekly radio Bible study on Sunday nights again, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. If every one of the 13,131 people on our daily mailing list gave $4.50, we would reach our goal immediately. If every one of our 151,781 followers on Facebook gave $1.00 each, we would reach 300% of our goal. The same goes for our 14,500 followers on Twitter. But sadly, many will not give, so we need the ones who can and who will give to be generous. As generous as possible.
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJV)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our GoFundMe page
The post With Their New Nest Hub Max, Google Is Able To Conduct 24-Hour Per Day Audio And Video Surveillance Of Everything You Say And Do In Your Own Home appeared first on Now The End Begins.
Source: https://www.nowtheendbegins.com/with-their-new-nest-hub-max-google-is-able-to-conduct-24-hour-per-day-audio-and-video-surveillance-of-everything-you-say-and-do-in-your-own-home/
Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.
"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
Please Help Support BeforeitsNews by trying our Natural Health Products below!
Order by Phone at 888-809-8385 or online at https://mitocopper.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomic.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomics.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Humic & Fulvic Trace Minerals Complex - Nature's most important supplement! Vivid Dreams again!
HNEX HydroNano EXtracellular Water - Improve immune system health and reduce inflammation.
Ultimate Clinical Potency Curcumin - Natural pain relief, reduce inflammation and so much more.
MitoCopper - Bioavailable Copper destroys pathogens and gives you more energy. (See Blood Video)
Oxy Powder - Natural Colon Cleanser! Cleans out toxic buildup with oxygen!
Nascent Iodine - Promotes detoxification, mental focus and thyroid health.
Smart Meter Cover - Reduces Smart Meter radiation by 96%! (See Video).
| Online: | |
| Visits: | 1,599,103,105 |
| Stories: | 8,138,035 |
Whistler Blowers, Insiders
