Presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway has taken a lot of heat this week after she told the Bergen Record on Sunday that appliances could be used to spy on American citizens-- even going so far as to suggest that hidden cameras might even be lurking in our microwaves.
Although Conway was relentlessly mocked for her comment, the very same media outlets were singing a different tune during David Petraeus' tenure as head of the CIA.
Wired.com warned of bugged dishwashers in 2012
On Monday, Wired.com published a lengthy article bashing Conway over her appliances-as-spy-gadgets comment.
The article, titled, "No, microwave Ovens Cannot Spy On You-- For Lots of Reasons", attempted to discredit Conway by quoting Stephen Frasier, a microwave expert at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, who, according to Wired.com, "let out several seconds of sustained laughter" when asked about the possibility of using a microwave as a surveillance tool. Frasier conceded that there was only one way this could happen-- if it was a voice-activated microwave connected to the internet.
Of course, many failed to point out was that Conway was apparently referring to "smart appliances," and not the chintzy Samsung microwaves that can be purchased for under fifty bucks at the local K-Mart.
For the record, Wired.com is the same website that, in 2012, published an article by Spencer Ackerman entitled, "CIA Chief: We'll Spy on You Through Your Dishwasher." Ackerman's article raised concerns over then-CIA director David Petraeus' ability to spy on American citizens through internet-enabled home devices, particularly dishwashers.
"CIA Director David Petraeus cannot wait to spy on you through them," cautions the 2012 Wired.com article.
Watch what you say around the laundry hamper
The left-leaning website Salon.com helped spread the paranoia even further by claiming that the government can spy on you through your own socks.
In October of 2014, Salon.com published an article by Michael Price, titled, "I'm Terrified of My New TV," in which the author warned of built-in cameras and microphones in internet-enabled televisions.
But the author made one ridiculous allegation that puts to shame anything Kellyanne Conway said. The author of the Salon.com article stated: "Your ceiling lights, thermostat and washing machine — even your socks — may be wired to interact online. The FBI will not have to bug your living room; you will do it yourself."
It was a piece that contrasts greatly with article Salon.com published on Monday, titled, "The Magic Microwave Theory."
In other words, the very same media outlets that crucified Kellyanne Conway for saying that the government can spy on Americans through microwaves happens to be the very same media outlets who warned that the government might be spying on you through your dishwasher and washing machine.
So, if you fear that Big Brother is watching you, maybe it's not your microwave you need to worry about-- it just might be your sock drawer.
