Facebook Announces New Video Chatting Device That Follows Your Every Move

[Swordsmyth]

Facebook is introducing a new product that will bring a camera and microphone into your living room. Facebook Portal, and the larger Portal Plus, are both smart displays that are laser-focused on video chatting.

“Today we’re excited to introduce @PortalFacebook to everyone. Come say hi and check out http://portal.facebook.com to learn more.”


They are essentially smart speakers with touchscreens that include a few unique features. One of the more freaky features Facebook Portal offers is a user detection system that will cinematically zoom in on a person’s face and has the ability to follow them as they move around a room. The entire idea behind the device is to make it feel as if the users are actually hanging out together.

Portals can be used to call other Portal users, or anyone who has Facebook or Facebook Messenger. The Portals are able to play music as well, via Pandora and Spotify, or stream video from Facebook Watch.

The smaller Portal resembles Amazon’s Echo Show, while the larger version (Portal Plus) looks more like a tablet – standing out wherever you put it – making the living room a prime location.
With Portal, you don’t have to hold the device, let alone try to aim it. When the chat begins, the device’s camera automatically searches for faces in the room and will continue to keep them in the frame during the call/chat. If only one person is in the room, the camera zooms in to focus on their face. Facebook’s claim is this feature makes video chatting more natural, with users talking and not having to worry about camera angles.
Considering Facebook is still trying to recover from issues stemming from the Cambridge Analytica database scandal, as well as a massive hack that compromised 50+ million users, this seems like a rather bold move.


Facebook says Portal is designed with privacy and security in mind:

– You can completely disable the camera and microphone with a single tap.
– Portal and Portal+ also come with a camera cover, so you can easily block your camera’s lens at any time and still receive incoming calls and notifications, plus use voice commands.
– To manage Portal access within your home, you can set a four- to 12-digit passcode to keep the screen locked. Changing the passcode requires your Facebook password.
– Facebook doesn’t listen to, view, or keep the contents of your Portal video calls. Your Portal conversations stay between you and the people you’re calling. In addition, video calls on Portal are encrypted, so your calls are always secure.
– For added security, Smart Camera and Smart Sound use AI technology that runs locally on Portal, not on Facebook servers. Portal’s camera doesn’t use facial recognition and doesn’t identify who you are.
– Like other voice-enabled devices, Portal only sends voice commands to Facebook servers after you say, “Hey Portal.” You can delete your Portal’s voice history in your Facebook Activity Log at any time.

Portal’s original launch date was delayed in hopes it would be able to escape the long shadow of the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal.

More at: https://bigleaguepolitics.com/facebo...ur-every-move/

[Brian4Liberty]

Progress continues towards Asimov’s holographic telepresence...

[DamianTV]

Just two words: Facebook has a $#@!ing snowballs chance in hell of putting one of those mother $#@!ing spy devices in my house ever! Thats two words there, right?

Natural Groups form from common purposes. When the purpose of the formation of those Groups is solely from finding a way to make money by Invasion of Privacy, there is no other result than Exploitation of the individual being spied upon. They will find a way to manipulate and exploit the individual for every dime they own. But even flat broke is no longer good enough with the invention of Debt and Credit. When Facebook and those who buy its data get into bed with Banks and form an even larger group, the end result is no longer just that the individual ends up worse than flat broke, but beyond enslaved to the will of the controllers of those Groups, both physically and more importantly, mentally.