Shazam Backtracking After Mac App Discovered to Retain Microphone Access Even When Toggled Off
Music-recognizing app Shazam retains access to the Mac’s microphone, keeping it in a constant on state, even when Shazam has been turned off. The potentially worrisome feature was discovered by security researcher Patrick Wardle, who developed an app called “OverSight” to warn users of when other apps are using their webcam and microphone. After its launch, one OverSight user contacted Wardle and told him Shazam kept listening even after it was toggled off in settings.
Wardle, who’s also an ex-NSA hacker, reverse-engineered Shazam’s Mac app and posted his findings in a personal blog. What he discovered was that the app essentially keeps the Mac’s microphone on to create a snappier user experience when song detection is required, but Wardle doesn’t believe there’s “any malice” to the company’s desktop and laptop app.
In a statement sent to Motherboard, Shazam’s vice president of global communications, James Pearson, confirmed that the app keeps the microphone on but “the audio is not processed unless the user actively turns the app ‘ON.’” In essence, Shazam for the Mac is constantly accessing the computer’s microphone, but only gaining access to audio and processing user data when turned on.
“There is no privacy issue since the audio is not processed unless the user actively turns the app ‘ON.’” James Pearson, the VP of global communications for Shazam, said in an emailed statement. ”If the mic wasn’t left on, it would take the app longer to both initialize the mic and then start buffering audio, and this is more likely to result in a poor user experience where users ‘miss out’ on a song they were trying to identify.”
As Wardle summed it up on his blog:
In other words what ‘OFF’ appears to mean, is simply, “stop processing the recorded data” …not cease recording.
Pearson refuted the idea that the always-on microphone was a bug, reiterating that the lack of audio processing in Shazam’s off state was always the company’s intended purpose for that mode, saying that “the user’s decision not to leverage our app’s functionality is fully respected” because of it. Since the report has become more widespread, Shazam’s Chief Product Officer Fabio Santini confirmed to CNET that the company will be updating the Mac app within the next few days to change how the app works, in order “to show that we care, and we pay attention, and we want them to feel good about using Shazam on their Mac.”
Despite Wardle’s confirmation that Shazam appears to be largely truthful, with no recorded audio being sent, saved, or processed by the company when the app is turned off, he remained wary of Shazam’s failure to disclose exactly how much access it has to the Mac’s microphone before his discovery. This is mostly due to the fact that, although Shazam’s intentions appear wholesome, another party could design malware that resides within the app and steals its toggled-off recordings, without the user ever being warned.
Again, though it appears that Shazam is always recording even when the user has toggled it ‘OFF’ I saw no indication that this recorded data is ever processed (nor saved, exfiltrated, etc). However, I still don’t like an app that appears to be constantly pulling audio off my computers internal mic. As such, I’m uninstalling Shazam as quickly as possible!
On iOS, users have a bit more insight into Shazam’s background functionality thanks to Apple’s hard-to-miss red banner that sticks to the top of the screen when an iPhone’s microphone is on in another app. Wardle’s main problem appears to be a lack of a similar warning for users on the Mac side of things, saying that “users should know” what has access to their computer’s input devices and when.
Check out his full breakdown of the Shazam Mac app here.
Tag: Shazam
Discuss this article in our forums
Amazon Prime UK price drops to £59 this week
Grand Tour tie-in gives new subscribers a £20 discount on a year of Prime.
In the run-up to the first episode of Top Gear spiritual successor The Grand Tour hitting Amazon Prime Video, the company is sweetening the deal for viewers in the UK. New British Amazon Prime subscribers to sign up this week can get a year’s membership for £59, a £20 saving on the regular price.
As well as getting to see the latest antics from Clarkson, Hammond and May, Prime subscribers also get a discount if they sign up for Amazon Music Unlimited, which officially launched in the UK yesterday. That’s in addition to Prime Video, Twitch Prime and speedy delivery on other stuff ordered from the retail giant.
The deadline for sign-up is midnight this Friday, November 18, after which Prime reverts back to the regular £79 annual price. The discount also doesn’t apply if you take a 30-day free Prime trial.
See at Amazon UK
OnePlus 3T: Play this neat flying game while you wait for the new phone
Collect blue things. Avoid red things.
The OnePlus 3T is due to be unveiled today, bringing an expected upgrade to a Snapdragon 821 processor, among other rumored hardware upgrades. That’s has led some impatient fans to start probing OnePlus’s web servers for early clues about what to expect.
Turns out if you hit up oneplus.net/oneplus-3t or oneplus.net/3t, you’re treated to…. not an unannounced smartphone, but a fun little flying game to keep you occupied until all is revealed. Take to the skies in your stylized polygonal airplane, collecting blue blobs and avoiding red ones. Basically, it’s a neat little endless runner that you can play with a mouse, trackpad or touchscreen.
It’s not clear whether there’s any reward for high scores. (There’s no scoreboard that we can see.) Either way, there shouldn’t be too long left before we find out what’s next from OnePlus. A tweet posted around six hours hints at an announcement around 1 p.m. ET.
Be sure to hit the comments and let us know how far you get in the game!
Huawei Mate 9 Pro is a Porsche Design Mate 9 without the Porsche branding
No word on any release outside of China for now.
Huawei has announced a third variant of its new Mate 9 for its home market of China, following the announcement of the regular Mate 9 and its pricey Porsche Design-branded sibling. As Gizchina reports, the Huawei Mate 9 Pro is basically a Porsche Design Mate 9 without the Porsche branding and sleek black paint job. And there are a few internal hardware tweaks, too.
The “Pro” features the same 5.5-inch curved Quad HD AMOLED display used in the Porsche Design Mate 9, and the same Kirin 960 processor, 4,000mAh battery and 20MP+12MP Leica camera setup. However there are two new storage and RAM configurations for the Mate 9 Pro. The cheapest 4GB + 64GB version will sell for 4699 yuan ($685), while the higher-end 6GB + 128GB version goes for 5299 yuan ($773). For now, the ludicrous 6GB + 256GB config remains exclusive to the Porsche Design Mate 9.
The Huawei Mate 9 Pro is already on sale in China, where it’s available in gold, grey and pink, however there’s no word on any plans to launch the device elsewhere. An official statement from Huawei reads:
The Mate 9 Pro was announced on Monday, November 14th at Huawei’s press conference held in Shanghai. We’re very excited to further expand the Mate series and provide people with a choice of devices that meet their needs. The Mate 9 Pro delivers the performance and experience consumers are looking for, while offering a unique and exciting design. More information about the device’s availability will be available soon.
Regardless, European buyers always have the option of stumping up €1395 for the Porsche Design Mate 9 when it goes on sale in December — if they really, really want a curved-screen phone with the latest Huawei tech.
Would you buy the Huawei Mate 9 Pro if it went on sale in Europe or the U.S.? Hit the comments and let us know!
Huawei Mate 9
- Huawei P9 preview
- Huawei P9 specs
- The Porsche Design Mate 9 is a $1500 special edition you’ll want
- All Huawei Mate 9 news
- Join the discussion in the forums
You could be wearing Apple iGlasses soon, smart specs in development
Apple is said to be working on its own augmented reality glasses, much like Google’s failed Glass device or Microsoft’s HoloLens headset.
Bloomberg claims that the project is still in the “exploration phase”, but plans are that a device would connect to an iPhone and wirelessly show images and information in a wearer’s field of vision.
Tim Cook has publicly revealed his love of augmented reality before. The Apple boss talked about the tech during a conference call with analysts this summer: “AR can be really great, and we have been and continue to invest a lot in this,” he said.
“We are high on AR for the long run. We think there are great things for customers and a great commercial opportunity.”
- Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus: What’s the story so far?
- Which Apple MacBook is best for you? MacBook, MacBook Air or MacBook Pro?
Bloomberg’s sources say that, should Apple continue with the project, it’ll be at least 2018 before any working device is unveiled. It’s also worth remembering that Apple considers many areas to expand into, with few seeing the light of day. The Apple car or television set anyone?
We hope that if Apple does stick with the tech it goes back to its traditional naming convention and calls the new device iGlasses. Or could it be iSpecs? iSpecs so.
Sigh.
NextUp is Netflix for UK stand-up comedy
With huge catalogs of movies and TV shows, of which an increasing share are now original, Netflix and Amazon do a good job of catering for most subscribers’ tastes. However, their broad focus means that some customers quickly consume the content that is most interesting to them and are left wanting more. This opens the door for streaming providers that focus on a niche or a specific genre, like comedy, which is exactly what UK company NextUp intends to do.
NextUp brings together dozens of stand-up specials from established and up-and-coming comedians in a Netflix-like package focused on delivering the best in British comedy. Richard Herring, Simon Munnery, Stewart Lee, Miles Jupp, Luisa Omielan and Sean Hughes are all available on the service, offering shows that go beyond the traditional DVD special.
Unlike Netflix, which either licences content via a major producer or commissions content itself, NextUp aims to give back to comedians. It splits viewing revenue 50/50 with acts, provides links to each comedian’s gigs, provides rehearsal space in its London office and includes comedians’ older works, preserving them for streamers who want to trawl through a specific act’s back catalog.
Over the last year, there’s been a steady rise in comedy-centric streaming services. US TV network NBC launched Seeso, an on-demand platform that centres on TV comedy shows than stand-up, and Laugh.ly took its catalog of big-name US comedians worldwide.
NextUp costs £3.50 a month following a free 30-day trial and is supported on the web, iPhone (AirPlay compatible), Android, Roku and Chromecast. Videos can be streamed on demand or downloaded and viewed offline.
Via: Chortle
Source: NextUp
The Morning After: Tuesday, November 15, 2016
A new MacBook Pro hits the review table, and Samsung splashes around some cash. While Facebook tries to figure out its fake news problem, we’re expecting more real announcements from the LA Auto Show today.
No half measuresReview: MacBook Pro (2016)
It’s been four years since we reviewed a fully redesigned MacBook Pro, so how does the latest model measure up? It’s thinner and lighter, with faster graphics chips and storage units than ever before. Unfortunately, it also ditches all the old USB and power connectors for new USB-C ports — say hello to dongles and goodbye to MagSafe. Unlocking your laptop with TouchID works well, but the new OLED Touch Bar isn’t always better than a physical key. Add in slightly shorter battery life than its predecessor and it’s getting a little harder to recommend this as the (pricey) pro laptop for you.
Feel like Marty McFlySelf-lacing Nike HyperAdapt shoes have a price tag and release details
Shocked that it’s 2016 and we’re still tying our own shoes like animals? You can fix that with Nike’s self-tightening HyperAdapt 1.0. The only problem? It will cost you. Each pair goes for $720, and they will be available only via select outlets online or in person, but we have all the release details available so far.
Virtual freedomMIT’s MoVR cuts the cord on virtual reality headsets
VR headsets are everywhere, but the need for low-latency connections means most users remain physically tethered to a powerful PC. MIT’s CSAIL has a solution that uses millimeter waves capable of 6 Gbps bandwidth, and an intermediate “mirror” device to make sure the signal doesn’t get blocked.
The I-Pace promises electricity without compromiseJaguar’s first electric concept vehicle makes its LA Auto Show debut
This SUV is built from the ground up to take advantage of electrification, with a custom 90kWh battery and cab-forward design (since there’s no gas engine). Jaguar engineers wanted to build a car that’s without compromise but also close to a production vehicle. Dual electric motors are capable of 400hp, and the company says the I-Pace has a range of 200 miles.
All cashSamsung’s largest acquisition ever makes it a big player in car audio
While Google plays with self-driving cars and Apple does … whatever it’s doing, Samsung is trying to go around Android Auto and CarPlay with its latest acquisition. The electronics giant made an all-cash $8 billion deal to buy Harman International Industries, an auto parts supplier known for its audio division. Harman also owns and licenses other brands, including JBL, Mark Levinson and Bang & Olufsen, so your car could have Samsung inside very soon — hopefully it doesn’t go all Galaxy Note 7 on anyone.
Plus: It has a headphone jack!Review: Moto Z Play
The Z Play isn’t bringing the latest and greatest tech to your pocket, but 50 hours of battery life and a $450 price tag make it hard to skip. Also, Motorola’s mid-range device brings back the headphone jack, if that’s important to you, while retaining support for Moto Mod hardware add-ons. Being this middle-of-the-road means there’s plenty of competition, but Chris Velazco can explain why this one is more than the sum of its parts
The fight against fake newsFacebook and Google cut off the money fueling fake news sites
Last week’s election results put Facebook front and center for its part in the spread of false and misleading information. On Monday, Google announced it would cut AdSense accounts on websites that “misrepresent, misstate or conceal information about the publisher, the publisher’s content, or the primary purpose,” and Facebook followed with similar steps. Is that enough to satisfy voices calling for it to take responsibility as a media outlet? We’ll have to wait and see.
But wait, there’s more…
- What’s on TV this week: Amazon’s “The Grand Tour,” “The Force Awakens” Blu-ray 3D Special Edition and “Watch_Dogs 2”
- Microsoft is making “Visual Studio for Mac” based on the Xamarin Studio software it acquired
- Marshall’s $200 Mid Bluetooth headphones let you jam for 30 hours
- The PowerWatch is the first wearable charged by your body heat
The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t subscribe.
Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.
Amazon Prime discounted to £59 for ‘The Grand Tour’ launch
Good news: The Grand Tour, Amazon’s answer to Top Gear, is now only three days away from release. The bad news is that you’ll need a Prime subscription to watch it. Amazon knows this, so it’s sweetening the deal by slashing £20 off the price of its annual subscription for anyone who has yet to sign up.
Between now and November 18th, when the first weekly episode of The Grand Tour debuts, Amazon Prime will cost £59. That brings it down to roughly £5 per month. It’s not the first time Amazon has done it — the company quickly reduced the price shortly after confirming the name of its new motoring show in May — but it’ll likely be enough to tempt fans of Clarkson and co., who may have never previously considered a subscription, into jumping aboard the Prime bandwagon.
Since signing the former Top Gear team, Amazon has put Jeremy Clarkson to work. He’s now the face of adverts for the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick and recently became the voice (alongside Hammond and May) of a particularly annoying alarm notification for Amazon’s Echo speaker. You can probably expect more TV spots as the show’s launch draws nearer.
Even if you’re not a motoring fan, Amazon’s Prime discount is still good value. Black Friday is approaching, meaning you can make use of the “free” next-day delivery, but the membership also provides access to music streaming and thousands of other TV shows and movies.
Source: Amazon UK
Governments routinely blocked messaging apps in 2016
Over the past year, authorities from different parts of the globe have been routinely imposing restrictions on messaging apps, according to Freedom House. Based on the non-government org’s internet freedom report for 2016, governments have been blocking chat apps and calling platforms recently in an effort to silence protesters and further censor the internet. Freedom House says they’re being targeted mostly for their ability to encrypt messages that make them difficult to intercept, as well as for their calling functions that eat into the profit margins of traditional telecoms.
Among all the messaging apps out there, WhatsApp was targeted the most. It was blocked either fully or partially in 12 out of the 65 countries Freedom House looked into. In Brazil, for instance, the government blocked the service a few times for refusing to hand over encrypted chat data related to a drug investigation. It was also blocked in Uganda during the presidential elections in February and during the reelected president’s inauguration in May reportedly to suppress people’s discontent over the results.
You can read Freedom House’s full report on the organization’s website, including a ranking of countries with the most internet freedom to the least. Estonia apparently enjoys the most freedom, while China with its infamous “Great Firewall” has the most restricted internet in the world.
Source: Freedom House
EE TV now highlights what shows are trending on Twitter
Ever feel like your colleagues are speaking an entirely different language when you’re eavesdropping around the water cooler? Who is this Greg guy with the insatiable appetite they keep bringing up? Well, if you happen to have an EE set-top box sitting under your TV at home, then prepare to up your small talk game. As part of the platform’s first major update since the ability to download recordings to phones and tablets was added, EE has today brought various “Watch with Twitter” features to its TV service after partnering with the social network.
Users will now be able to see what shows are trending on Twitter in real-time, with up to five being flagged by the familiar blue bird icon right in the EPG. You’ll see the Twitter logo pop up in various parts of the EE TV UI, including in the listings of soon-to-air shows people are already getting hyped about. Go to the specific programme page and you’ll also find the show’s official hashtag, so you too can join in the chorus of reaction GIFs from a second screen.
EE is planning to continue working with Twitter to launch deeper integration next year. Though the partnership is the first of its kind in the UK, other providers elsewhere have additional features like a live overlay option that surfaces relevant tweets, so we expect that might be on the cards in the future.
Today’s update isn’t all about Twitter, though, with other improvements being rolled out to set-top boxes this month. EE is expanding the Replay feature, for example, which records everything that’s aired on a channel in the past 24 hours so you can catch up on something you recently missed without going through an on-demand app. You will soon be able to set the recording loop running on up to eight channels at a time, up from the previous cap of six. From the Replay tab on the main menu, you’ll be able to filter all that content by category, too, like movies, sport and so on.
EE is also pulling 41 channels out the TVPlayer and Box Plus apps and integrating them directly into the EPG, though some of the former’s channels will require a subscription to view. Finally, the reality TV streaming service Hayu has arrived on EE TV in app form, just in case all those Freeview channels aren’t showing your favourite brand of trashy TV.
Source: EE
AIVAnet 