Technology is without a doubt a boon for all of us. Everything is so much easier.&nbsp;Hungry? Food ordering is a cinch with the many food ordering applications, where you can, of course, order pie. Too lazy to go to the market, everything is available online.&nbsp;You don't even have to get up to switch off the lights. Technology like Alexa, Siri and Cortana will help you there too.&nbsp;But as they say, every coin has two sides and the negative side of technology is the loss of privacy.&nbsp;Everything we do online leaves a trace. The data can be used to create a profile of our likes and dislikes and predict our actions. What's more, the technology boom has also given rise to spyware, which is always listening to us.

Has it ever happened to you that you're talking about something with someone, and soon you start seeing ads for that product? That's the work of spyware.

Home devices such as Amazon's Echo, Google Home have been accused of recording our conversations. And if reports are to be believed even your office computer systems may contain "bosswares" that are employed by bosses to listen to their employees.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/technology-giants-spy-on-staff-to-prevent-unionising-report-says-441951">Technology giants spy on staff to prevent unionising, report says</a>

Is all this information scaring you? Who would want to be spied on? We all have things we don't want "them" to know.

Playing loud music or having running water in the background is one method to protect your interactions, but let's be honest, these ways will be distracting.

We may soon be able to go unnoticed with the help of Neural Voice Camouflage technology, which boasts of being whisper-quiet and resists 'surveillance.

Watch |&nbsp;Why Telegram messaging app isn’t as secure as you think

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Researchers at Columbia Engineering have created this breakthrough system that generates noises that can be played in any setting, in any situation. This will prevent smart devices from spying on you.&nbsp;

The method it employs generates custom audio noise in the background as you speak, which serves to confuse the AI listening in.

It basically uses AI to fool another AI. The strategy uses machine learning, finding patterns in data to tweak sounds in such a way that the spy AI mistakes them for something else.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/muslim-prayer-app-others-banned-by-google-after-finding-spyware-linked-to-us-national-security-contractor-469137">Muslim prayer app, others banned by Google after finding spyware linked to US national security contractor</a>

Making it all function fast enough was a crucial technological problem, said Carl Vondrick, assistant professor of computer science.

“Our algorithm, which manages to block a rogue microphone from correctly hearing your words 80% of the time, is the fastest and the most accurate on our testbed."

"It works even when we don’t know anything about the rogue microphone, such as the location of it, or even the computer software running on it. It basically camouflages a person’s voice over-the-air, hiding it from these listening systems, and without inconveniencing the conversation between people in the room.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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Technology is without a doubt a boon for all of us. Everything is so much easier. Hungry? Food ordering is a cinch with the many food ordering applications, where you can, of course, order pie.

Technology is without a doubt a boon for all of us. Everything is so much easier. Hungry? Food ordering is a cinch with the many food ordering applications, where you can, of course, order pie. Too lazy to go to the market, everything is available online. You don't even have to get up to switch off the lights. Technology like Alexa, Siri and Cortana will help you there too. But as they say, every coin has two sides and the negative side of technology is the loss of privacy. Everything we do online leaves a trace. The data can be used to create a profile of our likes and dislikes and predict our actions. What's more, the technology boom has also given rise to spyware, which is always listening to us. Has it ever happened to you that you're talking about something with someone, and soon you start seeing ads for that product? That's the work of spyware. Home devices such as Amazon's Echo, Google Home have been accused of recording our conversations. And if reports are to be believed even your office computer systems may contain "bosswares" that are employed by bosses to listen to their employees. Also read | Technology giants spy on staff to prevent unionising, report says Is all this information scaring you? Who would want to be spied on? We all have things we don't want "them" to know. Playing loud music or having running water in the background is one method to protect your interactions, but let's be honest, these ways will be distracting. We may soon be able to go unnoticed with the help of Neural Voice Camouflage technology, which boasts of being whisper-quiet and resists 'surveillance. Watch | Why Telegram messaging app isn’t as secure as you think Researchers at Columbia Engineering have created this breakthrough system that generates noises that can be played in any setting, in any situation. This will prevent smart devices from spying on you. The method it employs generates custom audio noise in the background as you speak, which serves to confuse the AI listening in. It basically uses AI to fool another AI. The strategy uses machine learning, finding patterns in data to tweak sounds in such a way that the spy AI mistakes them for something else. Also read | Muslim prayer app, others banned by Google after finding spyware linked to US national security contractor Making it all function fast enough was a crucial technological problem, said Carl Vondrick, assistant professor of computer science. “Our algorithm, which manages to block a rogue microphone from correctly hearing your words 80% of the time, is the fastest and the most accurate on our testbed." "It works even when we don’t know anything about the rogue microphone, such as the location of it, or even the computer software running on it. It basically camouflages a person’s voice over-the-air, hiding it from these listening systems, and without inconveniencing the conversation between people in the room.” (With inputs from agencies) Watch WION LIVE HERE: You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Tired of technology spying on you? Here's how you can stop 'them' from listening in

Popular Muslim prayer apps, with more than 10 million downloads, are among other applications that have been banned by Google, a popular tech site Gizmodo reported. The report also mentioned that among other apps, there was a barcode scanner and a clock app also.&nbsp;

As per the report, Google has banned over a dozen apps from Play Store after it found that they included a line of code that was secretly&nbsp;harvesting user data.&nbsp;

The secret code was apparently engineered by a company linked to a United States defence contractor and they paid money to the software developers to incorporate the code into their apps. The code was siphoning off personal data phone numbers, contacts, etc from the devices.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/it-wasnt-april-fools-joke-twitter-is-serious-about-the-hotly-debated-edit-button-468772">It wasn't April Fool's joke. Twitter is serious about the hotly debated edit button</a>

Gizmodo noted that The Wall Street Journal originally published a report on the invasive code, which was discovered by researchers Serge Egelman and Joel Reardon.&nbsp;

The researchers have co-founded AppCensus, an organisation that basically looks after auditing mobile apps for user privacy and security. They noted their findings in a <a href="https://blog.appcensus.io/2022/04/06/the-curious-case-of-coulus-coelib/">blog post</a>, in which they revealed the full list of apps that were banned.&nbsp;&nbsp;

WSJ noted citing Reardon that the apps weren't removed from the Play store until March 25, though they had contacted Google with their findings in October 2021.&nbsp;

Google stated in response: "All apps on Google Play must comply with our policies, regardless of the developer. When we determine an app violates these policies, we take appropriate action."&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/with-29bn-twitter-stake-musk-now-owns-4-times-more-shares-than-founder-dorsey-stock-soars-21-468337">With $2.9bn Twitter stake, Musk now owns 4 times more shares than founder Dorsey, stock soars 21%</a>

The researchers have stated that a company registered in Panama called Measurement Systems might be behind all this. In their report, the researchers have clearly mentionedn that Measurement Systems was actually registered by a company called Vostrom Holdings.&nbsp;

The company is said to be a firm based in Virginia. It&nbsp;apparently has ties with the national defence industry. WSJ has noted that Vostrom contracts with the US federal government through a subsidiary firm called Packet Forensics.&nbsp;

Watch this report:&nbsp;

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Popular Muslim prayer apps, with more than 10 million downloads, are among other applications that have been banned by Google, a popular tech site Gizmodo reported.

Popular Muslim prayer apps, with more than 10 million downloads, are among other applications that have been banned by Google, a popular tech site Gizmodo reported. The report also mentioned that among other apps, there was a barcode scanner and a clock app also. As per the report, Google has banned over a dozen apps from Play Store after it found that they included a line of code that was secretly harvesting user data. The secret code was apparently engineered by a company linked to a United States defence contractor and they paid money to the software developers to incorporate the code into their apps. The code was siphoning off personal data phone numbers, contacts, etc from the devices. ALSO READ | It wasn't April Fool's joke. Twitter is serious about the hotly debated edit button Gizmodo noted that The Wall Street Journal originally published a report on the invasive code, which was discovered by researchers Serge Egelman and Joel Reardon. The researchers have co-founded AppCensus, an organisation that basically looks after auditing mobile apps for user privacy and security. They noted their findings in a blog post, in which they revealed the full list of apps that were banned. WSJ noted citing Reardon that the apps weren't removed from the Play store until March 25, though they had contacted Google with their findings in October 2021. Google stated in response: "All apps on Google Play must comply with our policies, regardless of the developer. When we determine an app violates these policies, we take appropriate action." ALSO READ | With $2.9bn Twitter stake, Musk now owns 4 times more shares than founder Dorsey, stock soars 21% The researchers have stated that a company registered in Panama called Measurement Systems might be behind all this. In their report, the researchers have clearly mentionedn that Measurement Systems was actually registered by a company called Vostrom Holdings. The company is said to be a firm based in Virginia. It apparently has ties with the national defence industry. WSJ has noted that Vostrom contracts with the US federal government through a subsidiary firm called Packet Forensics. Watch this report: ×

Muslim prayer app, others banned by Google after finding spyware linked to US national security contractor

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Tired of technology spying on you? Here's how you can stop 'them' from listening in

Muslim prayer app, others banned by Google after finding spyware linked to US national security contractor