Technology

CES Gadget Show: Surveillance Is in – and in a Big Way

During the show, skeptics who raise privacy and security concerns can be easily drowned out in the flashy spectacle of gee-whiz technology

NBCUniversal, Inc. In a bustling Las Vegas conference hall, a handpicked crop of tech innovators showed off their wares to reporters ahead of 2020’s CES tech conference. The exhibitors at the media-only preview event, CES Unveiled, include many of this year’s CES Innovation Award winners — with products ranging from smart sinks and door locks to entirely new ways to charge electronics...

From the face scanner that will check in some attendees to the cameras-everywhere array of digital products, the CES gadget show is all-in on surveillance technology — whether it calls it that or not.

Nestled in the “smart home” and “smart city” showrooms at the sprawling Las Vegas consumer tech conference are devices that see, hear and track the people they encounter. Some of them also analyze their looks and behavior. The technology on display includes eyelid-tracking car dashboard cameras to prevent distracted driving and “rapid DNA” kits for identifying a person from a cheek swab sample.

All these talking speakers, doorbell cameras and fitness trackers come with the promise of making life easier or more fun, but they're also potentially powerful spying tools. And the skeptics who raise privacy and security concerns can be easily drowned out in the flashy spectacle of gee-whiz technology.

“Many, many horrible stories have come out of consumer electronics,” said Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who is speaking on a CES panel about the future of internet-connected devices. “It's often about hyping the next thing you can buy and not considering the trade-offs.”

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The Huawei Mate X foldable smartphone is shown at the 2020 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 8, 2020.
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A model demonstrates Sublue’s White Mix Pro, a smart electric underwater scooter, during CES 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Jan. 8, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Attendees visit a full-scale mockup of the Bell Nexus 4EX air taxi concept at CES 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Jan. 8, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bell’s new fully electric air taxi concept is designed to carry four or five passengers for a distance of up to 60 miles at a speed of approximately 150 mph.
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An attendee tests out the Razer E-racing Simulator, Jan. 7, 2020, at the 2020 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada. The simulator features a motorized racing seat and 128-inch curved projection screen for a professional racing training environment that maps terrain surfaces, G-force and sounds into motion according to the company. Razer hopes the simulator will help bring racing to professional esports.
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Insta360 rep Hannah Wilson models the company’s Go camera, Jan. 7, 2020 at the 2020 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Insta360 Go is a tiny stabilized camera that weight less than one ounce, which can be worn as a pendant or clip onto eyeglasses.
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The Galaxy Fold 5G seen at the Samsung booth during CES 2020, Jan. 8, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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The Segway S-Pod seen on opening day of CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 7, 2020.
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Royole FlexPai foldable smartphones are displayed at CES 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Jan. 7, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Crave displays vibrators that double as jewelry at the 2020 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 7, 2020. Sex tech is making an appearance for the first time at CES in the health and wellness section of the giant electronics and gadget fair.
The Smacircle S1 micro-mobility e-bike seen folded on opening day of CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 7, 2020.
Whistle Labs Inc. Fit, a wearable health and fitness tracker for pets, displayed at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 7, 2020.
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Yukai Engineering Inc. BOCCO Emo, a communication robot, seen at CES on Jan. 7, 2020.
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A Lamborghini Huracan Evo, featuring Amazon Alexa, on display at the Amazon Booth during CES 2020 at The Venetian Las Vegas on Jan. 7, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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The Mercedes-Benz AG Vision AVTR concept car displayed on Jan. 6, 2020. Daimler AG CEO Ola Kallenius unveiled a flashy concept vehicle inspired by the movie “Avatar,” as the German carmaker looks forward despite pressure to cut costs.
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Toyota’s LQ Level 4 concept car is displayed at the Toyota booth during CES 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Jan. 7, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Amazon Scout, a robot belonging to a system that autonomously delivers packages to customers, seen at Amazon After Hours during CES 2020 at The Venetian Las Vegas on Jan. 7, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Digit, an upright robot by Agility Robotics, demonstrates package delivery at the Ford booth during CES 2020 on Jan. 7, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Kim Hyun-suk, president and co-chief executive officer of Samsung Electronics Co., presents the Ballie robot at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. The Ballie is a “personal care” robot that follows its user.
Curved OLED screens seen above the LG Electronics booth during CES 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Jan. 7, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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The Gatebox, a voice-powered home assistant with virtual character, seen during CES Unveiled, Jan. 5, 2020, in Las Vegas. The device works like a home assistant or smart speaker, but with a virtual interactive character.
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A model of the Hyundai Motor Co. and Uber Technologies Inc. aerial taxi sits on display at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 6, 2020.
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A woman demonstrates the GEMS (Gait Enhancing and Motivating System) on stage at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 6, 2020.
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The Sarcos Robotics Guardian XO exoskeleton appears in a demostration for the Delta Air Lines keynote at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 7, 2020.
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The Procter and Gamble Co. Charmin Rollbot seen at CES 2020’s press event at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Jan. 5, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. P&G's self-balancing robot was built to bring a roll directly to the toilet for anyone who finds themselves with an empty tube and no replacement in sight.
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The Kohler Numi 2.0 smart toilet, part of Kohler's smart bathroom collection, seen at a press event for CES 2020 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Jan. 5, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The "intelligent" toilet has Amazon Alexa built-in and features seat-warming and warm-water cleansing, among other functions.
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Lumi by Pampers, a connect care system, is displayed during a press event for CES 2020 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on Jan. 5, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The device monitors a baby’s output through a connected app.
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A Bartesian Inc. capsule cocktail machine pours out a cocktail during a press event for CES 2020 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Jan. 5, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bartesian does not come with the base spirits for a cocktail, but does pack everything else into capsules for your preferred mixed drink.
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A person wears a Safe-Tec Smart Helmet during CES Unveiled at the CES 2020 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Jan. 5, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The smart helmet is a Bluetooth-enabled bone conduction speaker and microphone that also features LED strips and brake light for safety.

CES runs Tuesday to Friday after two days of media previews. The annual showcase is where big companies and startups unveil and promote their latest gadgets, many of them infused with microphones, cameras and artificial intelligence. Though weighted toward the consumer market, much of what's on display may also be useful to law enforcement, not to mention prying employers or heavy-handed governments.

Marcus Yang, CEO of the camera startup Amaryllo, said he's had a difficult time persuading customers to pay more for safeguards such as faster processors to enable end-to-end encryption, when an array of cheaper, but less secure options are available.

CES attendees “want to see technology and something fresh,” Yang said. “They're only interested in looking at your cameras and what kind of features they have.”

Yang said he's hopeful that “something is changing this year” after a series of privacy scandals and security breaches has brought attention to the dangers of unfettered surveillance technology. And eventually, he said, regulators are likely to step in with security requirements.

Amazon's security camera division Ring, which has set up a “Ring House” to show off its home devices, recently had to defend its safety practices following reports of hackers breaking into Ring camera systems and harassing children. It's also faced criticism from privacy advocates and U.S. lawmakers over its growing partnerships with police. At CES on Monday, the company announced a new “control center” for camera owners to adjust their privacy settings and opt out of police requests for footage.

Ring competitor Wyze Labs, an honoree in the CES 2020 innovation awards, announced a data breach just after Christmas affecting 2.4 million customers. And widely used voice assistants made by Google, Amazon and Apple all came under scrutiny in 2019 for data retention practices that allowed employees and contractors to listen to users' audio recordings.

There's been some push back, at least on facial recognition and other surveillance technology from China. Hikvision and iFlytek, two Chinese tech companies that showed off their artificial intelligence at CES 2019, now face U.S. export restrictions because the Trump administration says the technology has been used in the repression of China's Muslims.

But China isn't the only place where the lines have blurred between consumer technology and government surveillance operations. Watchful residents of American neighborhoods are increasingly encouraged by Ring to share their doorbell video footage with police detectives. And device-makers are counting on consumers buying into ever-more elaborate forms of computer vision and other AI technology to give them peace of mind.

Camera-maker Arlo this week launched its first wireless floodlight camera, with night vision, a siren, two-way audio to converse with intruders and an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust its brightness. Another company, Sunflower Labs, is using CES to show off its “home drone security” system. If trespassers step onto your lawn, a camera-equipped drone flies out from its resting place to take a look at them and streams the live video to your phone.

Sound like something that might guard the lair of a James Bond villain? CEO Alex Pachikov says it's actually less intrusive to neighbors than your run-of-the-mill doorbell camera, because it's only looking down at your own property.

Serious talk about privacy protections and regulations isn't completely absent at CES. The schedule includes panel talks connecting policymakers with privacy executives from companies like Apple and Facebook.

Venture capitalist Rajeev Chand, who is moderating one of those panels, said tech companies are getting better at seeing themselves as custodians, not the owners, of user data, but much more needs to be done.

“We are probably at the first or second inning for how privacy re-shapes the consumer tech industry,” said Chand, a partner and head of research at Wing Venture Capital.

But even as some U.S. policymakers seek to restrict or ban facial recognition, the conference is getting its attendees more accustomed to everyday uses of surveillance technology in commercial and security settings.

Attendees at the gadget show can use their face to pick up their event badges for the first time.

"We're experimenting with it," said Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, which organizes CES.

He dismissed privacy concerns, saying that attendees have a choice.

"You're opting in," he said. “If you want to do it, you'll have an opportunity to do it.”

Cohn, of EFF, said she plans to skip the face scanners because she doesn't know who has control over the images they collect. She said there's only so much that consumers can do to guard against misuse.

“There is a risk treating this as an individual decision,” she said. “That's not really fair or right to do to people. We need to fix the policies.”


AP writers Rachel Lerman and Joseph Pisani contributed to this report.

Copyright The Associated Press
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