--- title: "Tech Exec Brags That New Phone’ Cameras Will Always Be Watching You" description: "When announcing his company's latest processor chip, one tech company executive seemed excited by the prospect of Android phones with always-on cameras." date: "2021-12-02" modified: "2021-12-02" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/tech-exec-phone-camera-always-watching" categories: - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "privacy" - "smartphones" - "surveillance" --- # Tech Exec Brags That New Phone’ Cameras Will Always Be Watching You ![When announcing his company's latest processor chip, one tech company executive seemed excited by the prospect of Android phones with always-on cameras.]() *\Image: Xiamoi\* While announcing his company's latest smartphone processor chip, one tech company executive was not only unperturbed that the phone's camera will always be scanning users' faces, but was actually *excited* by the prospect. As [*The Verge* reported](), Judd Heape, the vice president of product management at the Qualcomm corporation, bragged that the company's new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor chip — which will be in 2022's fanciest Android phones — will allow smartphone cameras to "always" be "securely looking for your face, even if you don’t touch it or raise to wake it." The idea behind this creepy surveillance is similar to the [microphones in our phones that are always listening to us](), *The Verge*'s report noted, but with one major distinction — that those microphones only activate on specific words and phrases ("Hi Siri!") and usually can't do much more until your phone is unlocked. Smart home products with cameras that regularly scan their surroundings, *The Verge* reminded readers, do already exist. But even those are less terrifying than this forthcoming Android tech because they're not always on your body, generally aren't repositories for all of our most personal information, and often come with physical shutters or system preferences that allow you to disable them when you're in the house. In an apparent attempt to quell fears that the phones' always-on cameras could be [hacked the way smart home products have been](), Heape said the cameras' data "never leaves the secure sensing hub while it’s looking for faces," suggesting that the camera won't be connected to the cloud or to the phone's apps that access the cloud. While it's freaky to consider a panopticon being carried around in the pockets of Android enthusiasts, there are a few potential saving graces, *The Verge* added. Ziad Asghar, another vice president of product management at Qualcomm, told *The Verge* that users will have "the choice to be able to pick and choose as to what is enabled and what’s not enabled," seemingly meaning they'll be able to opt out of the always-on camera. Moreover, there's no word yet on whether or not the makers of the Androids that the Qualcomm chips are going into will even enable the supersensory camera capabilities, in which case the company's apparent enthusiasm will be moot. These caveats are assuredly helpful in the short-term, but it was just a matter of time before someone began making this kind of smartphone camera. Now that Pandora's box is opened, it seems unlikely that it'll be shut anytime soon. **READ MORE:** [Qualcomm’s new always-on smartphone camera is a privacy nightmare]() \[*The Verge*\] **More creepiness:** *[Google Testing Feature That Scolds You For Using Smartphone While Walking]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()