dx-packages team mailing list archive

[Jamie Strandboge <jamie@xxxxxxxxxx>]

** Description changed:

  David and the security team (inspired by an observation from Rick)
  discussed that when recording, pulseaudio should somehow unobtrusively
  show the user that it is recording. The easiest thing to do would be for
  pulseaudio to alert indicator-sound which would then turn its icon red
  (similar to indicator-message turning blue with new messages). Marking
  'high' because apps with access to pulseaudio can currently eavedrop on
  users. If the app is allowed to do networking (the default for apps),
- then it can ship that information off to a server somewhere. Note, this
- must happen via the out of process pulseaudio server and not the
- confined app itself to be effective.
+ then it can ship that information off to a server somewhere.
+ 
+ Note 1, this must happen via the out of process pulseaudio server and
+ not the confined app itself to be effective.
+ 
+ Note 2, we should consider how to enforce this for foreground apps only.
+ Application lifecycle should probably handle this for 13.10 (apps are
+ suspended if not in foreground or if the screensaver is on), but we
+ don't want an app on the converged device to record in the background
+ when the user isn't paying attention. Example eavesdropping attack:
+ start recording only when the screensaver is on (perhaps inhibiting the
+ screensaver during recording would be enough).

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1224756

Title:
  pulseaudio should give a visual indication when it is recording

Status in “indicator-sound” package in Ubuntu:
  New
Status in “pulseaudio” package in Ubuntu:
  Triaged
Status in “indicator-sound” source package in Saucy:
  New
Status in “pulseaudio” source package in Saucy:
  Triaged

Bug description:
  David and the security team (inspired by an observation from Rick)
  discussed that when recording, pulseaudio should somehow unobtrusively
  show the user that it is recording. The easiest thing to do would be
  for pulseaudio to alert indicator-sound which would then turn its icon
  red (similar to indicator-message turning blue with new messages).
  Marking 'high' because apps with access to pulseaudio can currently
  eavedrop on users. If the app is allowed to do networking (the default
  for apps), then it can ship that information off to a server
  somewhere.

  Note 1, this must happen via the out of process pulseaudio server and
  not the confined app itself to be effective.

  Note 2, we should consider how to enforce this for foreground apps
  only. Application lifecycle should probably handle this for 13.10
  (apps are suspended if not in foreground or if the screensaver is on),
  but we don't want an app on the converged device to record in the
  background when the user isn't paying attention. Example eavesdropping
  attack: start recording only when the screensaver is on (perhaps
  inhibiting the screensaver during recording would be enough).

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