OMG I think my satellite receiver is watching me?

A few weeks ago I was reading a thread and in that thread someone said something abut how Orwell's 1984 was here a few years late but here now. They talked about how cable and satellite receivers were being fixed with small mini cameras and microphones for audio. I figured they were a little paranoid. I had just got a new system not too long ago, my old system had a small red sensor on it so that the remote would work, this one had three clear small, what I thought were sensors, they look more like 3 small flashbulbs inside the box. Tonight it was so hot I decided to take an early shower just to cool off, I came back to the LR with just a towel so I threw it on the sofa and lay down on it watching tv, then I recalled that thread and felt well a little paranoid. After getting dressed I decided to put something over the three glass flashbulb looking squares and see if the I could still change channels. I put a small brown piece of napkin (taco bell) over the squares and taped it on with clear tape and the remote still worked. Now I look in front of the power button and there are three really tiny bulges about the size of a pin head each and I wonder if they are the sensors for the remote. I am going to get some black tape and put over the clear tape to make sure that the brown napkin is not letting anything in and then see if the remote works. The manual says they the squares that look like flashbulbs are the sensors ,and there are more than one because you can program the remote to turn on all your equipment like a VCR. Well I just now put over what I already had on it, some more tape, the white kind they use on bandaging its very thick and even if the scotch tape and the brown napkin would have let it through this stuff should stop any signal and should block it but the remote is still changing the channels. Am I crazy or what? Shouldn't this be stopping the signals? At any rate, I am sure no one can use this thing to look into my world, its totally blocked. Anyone else heard anything like this before?

I was always afraid of the TV itself, especially NOSY SONY.

I'm not sure but I think your system would be working on in-fared signal

Guess I better not mention anything about web-cams



[edit on 13/7/2005 by Sauron]

paragraphs 4 teh win imo.

Originally posted by Sauron
I'm not sure but I think your system would be working on in-fared signal

Guess I better not mention anything about web-cams

[edit on 13/7/2005 by Sauron]

Actually written in my manual is the details of the fact that the three flashbulb things are the sensors complete with pic showing that they are the sensors. Should they work if they have a thin layer of paper over them a piece of scotch tape and then over all that a thick piece of medical tape?

Different materials have different opacities to IR signals, try to put a book or something more solid and try it.

I did put a book over it and it did not work except a couple of times when I was standing extremely close. Still though I am going to leave the napkin and the two tapes over it just for my own piece of mind. The idea that this could be used that way really scares me.

ok try blocking them again... with atleast 5 layers of aluminium foil and then duct tape it over the 3 bulbs then try it...

I'm probably being silly but for my own piece of mind I am leaving the brown napkin taped over it, if they can see anything it would just be a blurred image. I have to wonder though wouldn't the most valuable thing for them be audio.

try taking the digital box apart and if u screw it up just try to close it and call ur provider tell em something went wrong.... and if u think that they want audio then try puting some magnets around the box and if they would want audio then i would be out of the U.S a long time ago... and they would be able to prevent some bad stuff from happening...