by Charles Miller

In the news recently were stories covering the passing of the beloved Academy Award winning actor Gene Hackman. Considered one of the greatest actors of his generation and appearing in 77 feature films spanning a four-decade career; almost everyone must have a favorite memory of his appearance on screen. My personal memory is an admittedly odd one, and one shared with only a half dozen other members of my family.

It happened several years ago on a Friday morning in the month of November, the day after Thanksgiving. I was seated at the dining table at a relative"s house along with my two siblings plus several cousins. After a huge repast the day before, all of us were going light on breakfast and long on conversation. At one point someone noted that during the year since the last time we had been together an old family friend Bill had passed away.

In my hometown Bill was known for, among other achievements, his WWII service in the Army Air Corps as a bomber pilot. He had been shot down over Nazi Germany and imprisoned in a Luftwaffe prisoner of war camp; though it is uncertain how much time he actually spent incarcerated because he escaped not once but twice. Back home in East Texas, friends who spent time lost in the woods while deer hunting with Bill suggested maybe he did not actually escape from those POW camps but just wandered off in the wrong direction.

While sharing some antidotes about Bill"s adventures someone at the table mentioned that some of the stories might easily have made a good movie. Someone said "There was a movie like that with Gene Hackman but I don"t remember the name."

Our breakfast table conversation veered off into other topics, then after a while my brother quietly brought everyone"s attention to his small iPad. It was displaying an advertisement that had appeared unbidden: "Rent the 2001 movie 'Behind Enemy Lines' starring Gene Hackman, only $2.99!"

I would prefer to believe that was nothing more than a simple coincidence, but who knows? Conspiracy theorists will tell you that your smart phones and tablets are always listening to everything that is said as well as reporting your location. Allegedly everything your device hears can be data-mined for sale to advertisers who then target your devices with ads tailored specifically to your interests.

A sepulchral silence fell over our conversation for several moments as everyone seemed to be contemplating what had just happened, or perhaps trying to remember what they might have ever said aloud for their own smart phone or tablet to hear. I do not recall anyone turning off their phone, but that would not do any good unless your phone is an old one with a removable battery because new smart phones cannot be turned off. You can turn off the screen, but the electronics including the microphone remain powered on.

Tech experts often point not to Apple or Google being responsible for spying on conversations, but blame this on spyware incorporated in certain apps. When installing any smart phone or tablet app you should pay attention to the "Permissions" screen during the install process. If an app requests to use your microphone, consider whether or not that is really necessary. I also suggest regularly reviewing app permissions to ensure that only necessary applications have access to your microphone, camera, location, etc. and that an update has not turned that permission back on without your knowing about it.

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Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant with decades of IT experience and a Texan with a lifetime love for Mexico. The opinions expressed are his own. He may be contacted at 415-101-8528 or email FAQ8 (at) SMAguru.com.

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