Following a wave of international criticism and media coverage, Samsung has withdrawn the paragraph from its Smart TV’s privacy policy that initially sparked customer outrage.
The initial privacy policy went viral after it was discovered the Samsung Smart TV’s voice recognition software transmits the words of customers to a third party, effectively spying on consumers.
“Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition,” the policy read.
Samsung attempted to clarify its position overnight in order to “better explain what actually occurs”.
“Samsung takes consumer privacy very seriously and our products are designed with privacy in mind,” the company says.
“We employ industry-standard security safeguards and practices, including data encryption, to secure consumers’ personal information and prevent unauthorized collection or use.”
Yelp acquires food delivery service for $US134 million
Crowdsourced reviewing platform Yelp has bought food ordering service Eat24 for $US134 million ($A172m) in a bid to ramp up on-demand delivery in the United States.
Yelp co-founder and chief executive Jeremy Stoppelman said in a statement the acquisition was made in order to enhance the consumer experience.
“As more food ordering transactions move online, further integrating Eat24 will enhance our user experience with an easy-to-use product and service that allows our large consumer audience to transact directly with businesses,” he said.
“Eat24 has developed a great solution and unique service that has already added great value to the Yelp Platform. With this acquisition, we gain more tools and expertise to help engage our users from discovery through transaction in a key vertical for Yelp.”
Yelp was founded in San Francisco in 2004 and is expecting to record $118.5 million in revenue for the first quarter of 2015.
Apple threatens to ban accessory makers who design products from leaks
Apple is targeting third-party accessory makers in a bid to step-up the company’s privacy.
9to5Mac reports Apple demanded a number of leading accessory makers sign agreements stopping them from seeking information about future Apple devices prior to the iPhone 6 launch.
The move will likely see less choice for consumers, who will likely have to buy accessories for iPhones and iPads at Apple’s retail stores.
Overnight
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 0.79%, rising 139.55 points to 17,868.76. The Aussie dollar is currently trading at 78 US cents.
Broede Carmody is a former senior SmartCompany reporter. Before this, he was a co-editor of RMIT University’s student magazine Catalyst.
