this post was submitted on 09 Sep 2026
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Privacy
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Only the cone-magnet-coil-wires part is the same. All the electrical parts are different. There's no way.
As far as i could research it is technically feasible though very impractical and low quality, way easier to sell people voice command features instead.
As i understand it also depends on whether its a “active” speaker or not, has an amplifier behind it.
Tvs usually use a speaker array, a bad actor company could design it in a way that one or two of those can be used to record sound in case the microphone is no longer detected.
An ad collector wouldn’t go that far, a state intelligence operator who is covertly part of the company might.
Just encase your TV room in lead so it can't get a signal out. Ezpz.
In seriousness completely eliminating the possibility of surveillance is impossible, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't make it as hard as you're willing to give up convenience for.
I have never once and never will talk to my remote control. So this one’s a no brainer. Gonna do my father in laws (rented) comcast remote next.
I had an old electronics kit as a kid that you could use the earphone as microphone. Quality was shit but it works.
SPEAKE(a)R: Turn Speakers to Microphones for Fun and Profit
Seems to have some caveats but I'm not an expert.
Edit: fixed link
Oh wow!
Link 404s
Working for me now. Here's the PDF
Thanks man
I have accidentally done this on my laptop when it thought my microphone was a speaker and played audio out of it.
Minidisc headphones did this. I did it as a project as a young child.
They’re the same.
there is not “no way” when the plcs that read / send to the coils are basically software controlled actuators.