# The tea kettles have ears. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 31, 2013, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-kettles-have-ears/672775 "2013-10-31T19:26:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![deltasigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-kettles-have-ears/672775/1 "2013-10-31T19:26:22Z")
[Admittedly the story is likely bogus, but that’s mostly a technicality.](http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-claims-china-bugged-tea-kettles-2013-10) > [@](#): > > Customs agents found tea kettles and irons bugged with freaky Spyware chips that exploit WiFi connections, [reports Rosbalt, the local news outlet out of St. Petersberg.](http://www.rosbalt.ru/piter/2013/10/22/1190990.html) > > The chips, the paper claims, can exploit WiFi without passwords at a range of “up to 200 meters” and then “sends some data to the foreign server.” > The Register [did some digging](http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/10/29/dont_brew_that_cuppa_your_kettle_could_be_a_spambot/) and found the story legit. They also surmise the supposed bugging could be pulled off with ease: ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-kettles-have-ears/672775/2 "2013-10-31T19:36:08Z")
Whether or not this one is true, this kind of thing is going to happen. Consider when we have voice activated appliances which are Internet enabled. Say a digital picture frame which hangs on your wall, which allows you to upload photos, and which lets you control the slide show by voice. All someone has to do is hack into it, turn on the microphone, and send your voice to wherever they want. Yes, the walls will have ears. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-kettles-have-ears/672775/3 "2013-11-01T00:41:21Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Whether or not this one is true, this kind of thing is going to happen. Consider when we have voice activated appliances which are Internet enabled. Say a digital picture frame which hangs on your wall, which allows you to upload photos, and which lets you control the slide show by voice. All someone has to do is hack into it, turn on the microphone, and send your voice to wherever they want. > > Yes, the walls will have ears. …and the hills have eyes… ---
**Author:** ![Inna\_Minnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Inna\_Minnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inna_Minnit)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2013, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-kettles-have-ears/672775/4 "2013-11-01T06:37:29Z")
I just found out my car has a mic as part of it’s security features. To catch the sound of someone breaking the glass, I guess. Not a far stretch to hear what is going on inside the car. I wonder if they get annoyed with me for letting the same cd cycle for weeks? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2013, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-kettles-have-ears/672775/5 "2013-11-01T07:54:24Z")
> [@Inna\_Minnit](#): > > I just found out my car has a mic as part of it’s security features. To catch the sound of someone breaking the glass, I guess. Not a far stretch to hear what is going on inside the car. I wonder if they get annoyed with me for letting the same cd cycle for weeks? Hm, wonder if an 06 Grand Caravan has a mic … I just did a 4 hour road trip cycling [Sic Mea Fata](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk3zRNX6L94) to get the latin lyrics down pat. 😕:eek:😛 At least it wasn’t my bagpipe disc 😛