Telly, the 'Free' Smart TV With Ads, Has Privacy Policy Red Flags (techcrunch.com) 46
An anonymous reader shares a report: This week, we looked at a new hardware startup called Telly that's giving away half a million of its new smart televisions for free. The catch is that the 55-inch smart television is fitted with a second display that sits underneath and displays ads while you watch your favorite shows. The trade-off for a free television is agreeing to let this brand-new startup collect vast amounts of data about you because the money ads make from you cover the costs of the television itself. According to its privacy policy, the startup collects data about what you view, where you're located, what you watch, as well as what could be inferred about you from that information.
But annotations left in its privacy policy that were published in error raise concerns about its data practices. We've pasted below the portion of Telly's privacy policy verbatim, typos included, as it was published at the time -- and have highlighted the questionable passage in bold for emphasis: "As noted in the Terms of Use, we do not knowingly collect or solicitPersonal Data about children under 13 years of age; ifyou are a child under the age of 13, please do not attempt to register for orotherwise use the Services or send us any Personal Data. Use of the Servicesmay capture the physical presence of a child under the age of 13, but noPersonal Data about the child is collected. If we learn we have collectedPersonal Data from a child under 13 years of age, we will delete thatinformation as quickly as possible. (I don't know that this is accurate. Do wehave to say we will delete the information or is there another way aroundthis)? If you believe that a child under 13 years of age may have providedPersonal Data to us, please contact us at..." A short time after contacting Telly for comment, the company removed the section from its privacy policy.
But annotations left in its privacy policy that were published in error raise concerns about its data practices. We've pasted below the portion of Telly's privacy policy verbatim, typos included, as it was published at the time -- and have highlighted the questionable passage in bold for emphasis: "As noted in the Terms of Use, we do not knowingly collect or solicitPersonal Data about children under 13 years of age; ifyou are a child under the age of 13, please do not attempt to register for orotherwise use the Services or send us any Personal Data. Use of the Servicesmay capture the physical presence of a child under the age of 13, but noPersonal Data about the child is collected. If we learn we have collectedPersonal Data from a child under 13 years of age, we will delete thatinformation as quickly as possible. (I don't know that this is accurate. Do wehave to say we will delete the information or is there another way aroundthis)? If you believe that a child under 13 years of age may have providedPersonal Data to us, please contact us at..." A short time after contacting Telly for comment, the company removed the section from its privacy policy.
How do I sign up? (Score:2)
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"Free" displays that they end up charging you $1000 for if you don't follow the terms of service, which include leaving them on for a certain number of hours daily.
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Tape some cardboard over that ad screen and all is well in the world.
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How this company got funding is beyond me.
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which include leaving them on for a certain number of hours daily.
Source? I haven't seen that stated anywhere yet...
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Not explicit, but it's almost a certainty that it's taken into account when determining whether you're obeying the provision that you're using it as your "Primary TV"
Re:How do I sign up? (Score:5, Informative)
You have to agree to use it as your primary TV set, and to not modify it in any way. It has sensors (which can probably be defeated, but you won't know for sure) to detect if you put a cover over the ad display. If they think you violate any of their terms, they can charge your credit card $1000.
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And whether they have reason to charge you $1000 is probably termed as being "at their sole discretion" in the agreement. Not saying they would do it just for giggles - obviously that would poison their market if they did it all the time - but I can guess in case of doubt or dispute what they would elect to do.
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There are lots of things that would probably work but you won't know except by the absence of a $1000 charge on your credit card. If they do charge you, they will have a video of your ceiling fan to prove that you violated their TOS. I'd love to have that screen that is for the ads but for other uses, but you can't use it for other things if you are also tenuously using physical countermeasures to circumvent the company's TOS.
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We already had a round of myriad fixes in the last article, I'm almost certain the contract (which quickly makes this no longer a Hardware Problem) will demand users fill out surveys and install some phone app and other cancer. With the $1000 fee on the line.
Privacy issues? (Score:4)
Should be from the, "YA THINK?!" department.
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I'm going to go out on a limb and speak for most of the /. community on this one, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
Ahem. Fuck that.
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I'm 93 Escort Wagon and I endorse this message.
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The annotation in the summary doesn't really change anything.
Bad Deal (Score:4, Interesting)
They say the TV has a value of $1000. I question that, but even taking that at face value, would you let a company put a screen that will play ads in your house 24x7 for just $1000? Also, I can't find any documentation on power draw for that ad screen. How much will that cost per year in electricity? I think this enterprise will land with a dull thud once the device is actually released. Maybe they will end up liquidating the devices for cheap, and free and clear of contract terms in about six months to a year. I think that is the best case scenario. That bottom screen would make a cool project display.
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You can buy 55 inch 4k TVs at walmart from 250-400, including an LG and Samsung. Why would want this thing ? a 55 inch tv being $1000 was like 5 years ago? What are they gonna give out next a '$1000' 5th gen i5 laptop with 4gigs of ram and 128gig SSD? This has bad idea written all over it.
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You can buy a shitty 4K TV at walmart for $250-400. If you want a nice TV, it'll cost more. Some people pay more for nicer TVs, like maybe wanting Dolby Vision and decent HDR (Samsung TVs don't do Dolby Vision). Cheap TVs
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Every statement from them that I have seen so far has been the typical puffery about how good the TV is but with no actual measurable details so my bet is that it is a crap TV.
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irony is they cant tell if your not putting things in front of the screen that displays Ads
Oh no - seems like an application for several weak IR emitter that blink out a patterns and various times and receiver that makes sure it sees the reflections...
Remember it does not have to work well only well enough. Few enough false negatives for covering the screen that it demos well for the advertisers so they spend their money. Few enough false positives that you don't end up with 1000s of people squealing to some regulator/da/congressman you scammed them out of $1000 bucks, but the rest screw'em onl
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For many, this is the only way they will get a big tv. I do not know if anyone wants a big TV, but maybe some do.
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They say the TV has a value of $1000. I question that, but even taking that at face value, would you let a company put a screen that will play ads in your house 24x7 for just $1000? ..
I think this enterprise will land with a dull thud once the device is actually released.
I just don't get how so many people here think all humans are perfect clones of themselves and not different people...
There are TONS of people out there too poor to afford a $400 TV. Billions of people.
A sizable percentage of them would very willingly value their privacy at this price point and exchange it for a TV.
I'll bet they do very well, even without our money.
Also, I can't find any documentation on power draw for that ad screen. How much will that cost per year in electricity?
Again, poor people. None but the poorest of their target market will even have electricity usage cross their minds, and the ones that do are c
Big nothing sandwich (Score:2)
the startup collects data about what you view, where you're located, what you watch, as well as what could be inferred about you from that information.
Oh no!
Anyway...
It's not your TV. (Score:5, Insightful)
Metaphors aside, you literally do not own the TV. The ToS reads:
If you stop using the Services, or if Telly terminates your use of the Services, you are required to return all Products and Services to Telly.
Of course, what if you decline?
Valid Credit Card Required: You will need to provide Telly with a valid credit card prior to shipment of the Product and periodically update Your credit card information to ensure it remains current in Telly’s records.
Buf if you use it then it's free, right? Right?
The Telly Device is free for consumers. Services are also currently free, but we reserve the right to charge for premium services in the future. We will notify you before any Services you are then using begin carrying a fee, and if you wish to continue using such Services, you must pay all applicable fees for such Services.
In summary, it will be free for about a year before they start charging you every month. If you stop watching it often enough then you have to pay to send it back. If you don't send it back then they will charge your credit card $1000.
Meh (Score:2)
Do not want (Score:2)
Completely predatory. Anyone who can afford a new TV wouldn't touch this with a thousand foot poll, they're targeting people in poverty so that can manipulate what wealth they have in higher numbers to whatever marketing thing they're doing. Idiocracy is real.
Was it 1984 or another book? (Score:2)
Well DUH (Score:2)
Then when you get caught doing something really bad you go "Oops my bad", promise to investigate and reform. In reality they work on how they got caught and try and make that harder and continue with the abuse as though nothing happened.
At worse they will cop a fine that is "Cost of doing business" and still keep going in the hopes someone buys them out for billions.
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The whole premise of advertising is to invade peoples privacy.
I think you missed out a word there. Targeted advertising might invade privacy, but the billboard I go past telling me about cheap dental implants certainly doesn't.
Knock me over with a feather! (Score:2)
Telly, the 'Free' Smart TV With Ads, Has Privacy Policy Red Flags
Gotta admit, I never saw that coming!
Don't much care (Score:2)
If there are any adults left in the developed world who aren't aware of rampant tech privacy invasion and its consequences, they've had their heads in the sand and deserve what they get. If there are any others who have been told but don't believe or don't care, fuck 'em - let Darwin sort them out.
The people who roll over for this shit are a major reason why we can't have nice things like a Web that isn't dominated by shills, hucksters, thieves, and voyeurs.
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Point taken, in the general sense. I still think that at some point, I need to stop worrying about the welfare of people who repeatedly refuse to consider the abundant evidence that they're being lied to, taken advantage of, and abused. If they were drowning or otherwise physically in danger, or if they asked for my help with understanding some of the things that corporations are doing, I'd do my best to help. I don't hate them, but I do hate that they are making life harder for me and mine - at the same ti
if you are a child under the age of 13 (Score:2)
if you are a child under the age of 13, please do not attempt to register for or otherwise use the Services or send us any Personal Data.
To funny. Like a child/teen would (a) even read the TOS or (b) not watch TV.
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That's doubly hilarious given the "Must be used as your primary TV" requirement.
I generally loathe memes... (Score:2)
...but this headline is screaming "Surprised Pikachu"
Idiocracy (Score:1)
TANSTAAFL (Score:2)
The target market is suckers who can be easily convinced they're going to get something for nothing. Which, come to think of it, is precisely the demographic where those ads will be most effective.
If you want a big cheap TV, get one from your local big box store or discount club.
"Costs more than $1000 at retail"... Right.
My worn out boots cost more than $1000 at retail. I'll sell 'em to you right now if you don't believe me.
Meh, I don't care, I want targeted advertising. (Score:1)
Shocked! (Score:2)
Well, not that shocked.
Seriously, did anyone think anything else was going to be happening there?