Look at the following:
zdnet.com
Could it be that FunPhone simply used this little microphone and is fooling all of us about the screen technology? How did one of my screen blow then?
It turns out that virtually every computer system purchased
after March 1996 contains a microphone, and that the IT
departments at Polar and other companies had routinely
been using special sound-activated software to record and
collect conversations.
Microphones, which cost manufacturers less than a
quarter, had been mandated in the 1996 IEEE RFC 0401
PC/Telephony spec, but few users have taken advantage of
them. However, Polar's attorneys admitted that most IT
departments, and even major Internet providers, have been
running special SCP (Speech Collection Port) software
that uses the microphones to bug conversations as a
"protective measure."
The software can harvest all speech within a five-foot radius
of an average PC, compress and store it, and send it over
LANs or Internet connections to a central collection server.
Witnesses who have listened to the recording say Jeffries
was allegedly heard to whistle and say to himself "Nice
bazongas." Jeffries, who was subsequently fired, directed
all inquiries to his lawyer.
Profaslo's legal team has argued the episode has caused
her "serious depression, anorexia, and sleeplessness."
She has filed for disability, and is suing Polar for $30
million in damages.
So how do you know if you're at risk for something you
might have said innocently over the past three years?
Here's the sure-fire trick: If you've ever noticed that your
hard disk "in-use" indicator light periodically goes on for a
few seconds even when you're not typing, or saving files, it
is almost certain that SCP software has been
surreptitiously collecting and sending your conversations
either over your network or via the Internet.
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