Saw this link posted on /.
https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/...a_google_nuit/

I'd recommend not to do any banking from your phones... just to be sure.

I wouldn't do banking or payments from my phone on a bet, but thanks for the link!

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Not a problem - who in their right mind would open up their device/home to constantly listening snoops ?. Get a dog, works fine for security. It too is constantly listening, but that's ok ...

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Some countries don't do anything else. :/

Speaking generally, I would simply ask: "how stupid do you consent to be?" Even though this "thing" is apparently "speaking to you" and "listening to you," exactly how much control over your life(!) are you willing to give to it?

If you, for instance, agree to "Hey, Siri!", did it never actually occur to you(!) that you were therefore allowing this device to overhear and voice-recognize everything(!) that you said in the "privacy" (sic ...) of "your own home?"

And then, now being magically "possessed of" this information, how exactly did you expect them to find a way to sell it? Of course without your knowledge nor consent. Hundreds of hours of computer-generated transcripts of every single thing that you ever said to anyone else in "your own home." How much money might that be "worth?"

I could go on. Instead, let me just say this: "George Orwell's "1984" was, to some people, a business plan." And all of you should have seen it coming. But, instead, you were "dazzled by the technology," and therefore completely clueless.

How to counter attack this in real life without throwing phones and other useful tech away?
Does not make sense to carry hardware around the waist or in a backpack.
Can it be filtered out in software?

We replaced our landline for 2 cells from different providers.
I seldom use mine , it's for backup just in case - I seldom touch, even sit or sleep near mine.
The old lady does all the talking.

ROFL!!

Until a year or two ago my bank allowed you to scan a check, front and back, and upload the images via a desktop or laptop commuter to make a deposit.
Now you are forced to use their app on a smartphone. As they don't have a branch anywhere nearby, I don't have a choice, other than close the account.
The software is pretty clever.
I connect to the Internet then connect to a VPN and then connect, via the bank's app, to the account.
Of course, before you start you endorsed the check with your account number and signature.
Once the procedure has started they tell you to take a photo of the front of the check.
You don't even have to press the button. You hold the phone over the check and once it is
properly aligned, it automatically takes the picture. Then you do the same with the back of the check, then enter the amount and then press "deposit." Done.
So far, there haven't been any security problems and they haven't given me any reason to complain.

Have you tried doing the same with currency? https://xkcd.com/2335

Good idea!

For cash I maintain a small account at a local branch of a major commercial bank.
As I'm a early riser and the bank doesn't open until 10am, I just use the ATM to make cash deposits. You can also deposit checks at the ATM, but those I usually put in the previously mentioned account.
I haven't had to actually walk into a bank in years.