Facebook, scarred by privacy scandals, wants to put a video camera in your house

(Image credit: Facebook portal)

published 8 October 2018

Undaunted by abysmal approval ratings, Facebook has invited itself into your home.

The company on Monday unveiled "Portal," an in-home gadget with a screen, video camera, and speakers that will allow users to video chat and handle household tasks, reports Recode.

The audacious move comes despite reported leak after leak after leak after leak this year, as Facebook seeks new ventures in everything from finance to virtual reality. Despite security concerns following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which 87 million users' data was improperly accessed by a third-party data firm, Facebook is pitching its new device as a competitor to Amazon and Google gadgets.

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Facebook executives said privacy was the "most important" focus in building the Portal. The camera will not capture video unless it's being used for a video call, and microphones will only listen upon hearing "Hey, Portal." Conversations won't be logged, and data won't be used for targeted ads. The devices are currently being tested in about 1,000 homes — fingers crossed there aren't any reports of recorded conversations that get sent to users' coworkers.

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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.

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