Seems Google has learned the old ways of Microsoft and other software companies. It was discovered that if you used the Google Chrome browser, it is loading listening software without permission, to turn on your microphone and listen in on your conversations. Remember, Chrome updates automatically in the background when you start it. WOW is all I can say! I would have expected this from the old Microsoft of years ago (whose stock is way up over the last 12 months since the new CEO was named) – but not Google. I guess it might be time for me to go to use IE and Bing as my browser and search tool of choice. Nah, that’s not going to happen - yet.

In case you didn't know, there are two ways to turn it off. The first way: Type this in the address bar, chrome://settings/contentExceptions#media-stream | and delete whatever is allowed to listen. The second way: type this in the address bar, chrome://settings/content | and scroll down to media, then tell it to not allow anything to use the mic.

There is still some debate on whether or not Google still has something in the part of its code that’s not open source which will or could listen in. Note - that this was only discovered because it was found it Chromium, which was the open source browser Chrome is based on. Google does keep some things hidden in Chrome.

See the details of the article here from Neowin: http://www.neowin.net/news/googles-audio-listening-software-has-been-installed-on-computers-without-permission

You don't want Google eavesdropping on your conversations!