Samsung is warning customers not to discuss personal information in front of their smart television set. The warning applies to TV viewers who control their Samsung Smart TV using its voice activation feature. It is possible that this information will be shared with third parties.

Questions:
1. What types of steps has Samsung taken to provide transparency about this potential problem?
2. Which third party company is handling the translation from speech to text on Samsung smart TVs?
3. What other company has run into problems with the data the set collects?
4. Assume that a customer sues Samsung for $4 million for gathering significant personal information that eventually is the focus of an identification theft network. If it is probable that the customer will win the suit for a lesser amount between $1.5 million and $3 million, how should Samsung account for this suit in its current annual report covering the period of suit?

Source:

BBC Staff. (2015). Not in front of the telly: Warning over ‘listening’ TV. BBC.com, Feb. 9 (Retrievable online at http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-31296188)