The TV’s “surveillance policy”—yes, even a TV has a surveillance policy now—reveals the layers of surveillance effort and commercial interest that operate outside of awareness in our homes. Samsung acknowledges that the voice commands aimed at triggering the TV’s voice-recognition capabilities are sent to a third party and adds, “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.” Samsung disclaims responsibility for the policies of third-party firms, as nearly all surveillance policies do, including the one that actually collects and translates the talk of its unsuspecting customers. Samsung advises that “You should exercise caution and review the privacy statements applicable to the third-party websites and services you use.” The intrepid consumer determined to study these documents will find no succor in Nuance’s privacy policy, only the same catechism found in Samsung’s and that of nearly every company. It also encourages you to read the privacy policies of the companies to whom it’s selling your conversations, and so it goes: a forced march toward madness or surrender.

Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Cap…, loc. 822