Legislators Introduce Bill To Stop Set Top Boxes From Watching You

An anonymous reader writes "For a few years now, we've been hearing about TV-related devices that have built-in cameras and microphones. Their stated purpose is to monitor consumers and gather data — often to target advertising. (We'll set aside any unstated purposes — the uses they tell us about are bad enough.) Now, two members of the U.S. House of Representatives have submitted legislation to regulate this sort of technology. '[They] said they want to get out ahead of the release of this new technology and pass legislation that ensures it would include beefed up privacy protections for consumers. They added that this legislation is particularly relevant given the recent revelations about the National Security Agency's Internet surveillance programs. ... Additionally, the bill requires a cable box or set-top device to notify consumers when the monitoring technology is activated and in use by posting the phrase "We are watching you" across their TV screens.'"

I have some better ideas:

[kheldan]

1. Don't allow the technology at all. Why does your television or set-top box (video game consoles excluded) need a camera or microphone in it in the first place?
2. Mandatory user-configurable setting to turn off such devices permanently if that's what the consumer wants, or better yet, make such devices separate accessories that physically plug in, so you can physically disconnect them when you're not actively using them.