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

Facebook portal.
(Image credit: Facebook portal)

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.

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Portal preorders have now begun, for shipping in November. There are two sizes: a 15-inch display for $349, and a 10-inch display for $199. The devices will include Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, since Facebook doesn't have an AI-assistant brand of its own.

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, The Week US

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.