- Jun 9, 2013
- 6,720
On #WTFWednesday, the privacy threats we tell you about always get a “WTF?” from us because we can’t believe they’re happening. This week, we’re telling you about something we can’t even believe is possible.
You read the title exactly right. Spies can now eavesdrop on your conversations just by watching your bag of potato chips. Or the surface of the glass of water on your table. Or even the houseplant by your window. And there’s nothing you can do about it.
These aren’t specially wired spy-chip bags and spy-drinks and spy-plants we’re talking about, either. They’re just ordinary objects. How the hell does that work?
Well, the objects mentioned do all have one thing in common: they can all vibrate. There’s your clue.
Invisible Vibrations
If you know how sound works, you’ll know it’s essentially vibrations in the air. When you speak, your vocal cords create vibrations across a range of frequencies.
But sound can also travel through solid objects using the same method: vibration. And it’s happening all around you, all the time.
Whenever you speak, the objects around you vibrate on a minute, invisible scale. That includes your bag of chips, your drink, and your plant. They’re all trembling slightly with the tiny vibrations of your voice. You’ve just probably never seen it or thought about it before.
Unfortunately for your privacy, someone else did think about it. Enter the scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Full article here. https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/wtfwednesday-how-your-bag-of-potato-chips-is-revealing-your-secrets/
You read the title exactly right. Spies can now eavesdrop on your conversations just by watching your bag of potato chips. Or the surface of the glass of water on your table. Or even the houseplant by your window. And there’s nothing you can do about it.
These aren’t specially wired spy-chip bags and spy-drinks and spy-plants we’re talking about, either. They’re just ordinary objects. How the hell does that work?
Well, the objects mentioned do all have one thing in common: they can all vibrate. There’s your clue.
Invisible Vibrations
If you know how sound works, you’ll know it’s essentially vibrations in the air. When you speak, your vocal cords create vibrations across a range of frequencies.
But sound can also travel through solid objects using the same method: vibration. And it’s happening all around you, all the time.
Whenever you speak, the objects around you vibrate on a minute, invisible scale. That includes your bag of chips, your drink, and your plant. They’re all trembling slightly with the tiny vibrations of your voice. You’ve just probably never seen it or thought about it before.
Unfortunately for your privacy, someone else did think about it. Enter the scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Full article here. https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/wtfwednesday-how-your-bag-of-potato-chips-is-revealing-your-secrets/