Facebook’s new video-chatting device, the Portal, goes on sale today. Throw caution to the wind by picking one up, and it taps into your Facebook account to let you make hands-free video calls, display photos, play music, stream video content, and more. Considering that the Portal is a Facebook product—and will feature ads and Amazon’s Alexa AI assistant, no less—you’re probably a little concerned about what Facebook will be doing with what the Portal hears and sees. Since these fears are probably the biggest reason Facebook fans won’t pick up a Portal, the company recently took to its blog to assuage buyers’ concerns over its device’s data-collection practices and privacy. Here are the major takeaways about Portal privacy and advertising: Your Portal video calls are entirely private From the start, Facebook says that the Portal “does not listen to, view, or keep the contents of your portal video calls,” and that your calls are encrypted. That likely answers the biggest question users have about Facebook’s device, and it’s smart for Facebook to be clear about this—if you trust the company. In a world where Google scans your emails to see what you’re talking about, and AI assistants are always listening for when they’re needed, it’s reasonable to question what the Portal might do with your video calls. Facebook will collect data from Portal Portal calls may be private, but Facebook will still collect some kind of data from the device. Your general Portal usage metrics (such as how often you… [Read full story]
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