Arlington, Va., February 26, 2015 – The following statement is attributed to Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, in response to the Electronic Privacy Information Center’s (EPIC) complaint to the Federal Trade Commission regarding voice-recognition capabilities in Samsung’s SMART TVs:
“This complaint is an epic overreaction. EPIC mischaracterizes Samsung’s voice-recognition technology as an attempt at pervasive surveillance of the home, but doesn’t acknowledge that it’s a very useful feature designed to serve consumers’ needs – and a game-changing accessibility innovation for people with disabilities.
“We shouldn’t confuse voice-recognition applications with ‘spying.’ Increasingly, voice recognition powers the features behind some of our most innovative consumer products such as smartphones, gaming systems and car navigation systems. Companies use cloud-based infrastructure to provide these services because it’s powerful, efficient, lowers costs and saves energy. Transferring data from a user’s device to the cloud and back is a necessary part of providing these innovative services.
“Consumers must know exactly what kind of data their devices are collecting, and how that data is being used. To that end, technology companies are bending over backward to earn consumers’ trust. Users who remain unconvinced do have the option to disable voice command features. That said, it’s important that manufacturers help consumers understand how connected systems work and how their information is collected and used, since more and more everyday objects will soon be ‘smart devices’ – joining the Internet of Things. Innovation and strong consumer privacy can and do co-exist.”
About CEA:
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the technology trade association representing the $223 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative and regulatory advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also owns and produces the International CES – The Global Stage for Innovation. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA’s industry services. Find CEA online at CE.org, DeclareInnovation.com and through social media: