Orwell’s Telescreen Was Fiction. Until We Put One in Our Living Rooms.

Posted: Mon Sep 7, 2026 2:29pm

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Airtaine

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Reports that some smart TVs may record audio even when the screen appears to be off, while identifying other devices on your home network, are enough to make anyone uncomfortable.

Most of us think we're buying a television. In reality, we're increasingly putting an internet-connected computer — complete with microphones and sophisticated data collection in the middle of our living rooms.

Big Brother may not be watching through your TV. But perhaps we should be asking what it is watching and listening to.

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Posted: Mon Sep 7, 2026 2:48pm

PuffTheMagicDragon

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Posted: Mon Sep 7, 2026 2:48pm

I think this is one area where the conspiracy theorists, might just have something?

Posted: Mon Sep 7, 2026 3:58pm

Airtaine

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Posted: Mon Sep 7, 2026 3:58pm

PuffTheMagicDragon wrote on Mon Sep 7, 2026 2:48pm:
I think this is one area where the conspiracy theorists, might just have something?

You thought the TV was the worrying part. Look around your house.

Your phone. Smart speaker. TV. Laptop. Doorbell. Security camera. Games console. Smart watch. Baby monitor. Even some appliances.

A modern home can easily contain dozens of internet-connected devices, many with microphones, cameras, sensors or the ability to monitor what is happening around them.

That doesn't mean they are all secretly listening to you.

But it does mean that we have quietly filled our homes with devices capable of doing so.

Once, the fear was that Big Brother would force his way into our homes. Now we click “I agree”, pay for the device, and invite him in ourselves.