In AV and Collaboration, Your Devices Are Talking – But Not Just to You

You’ve heard the old line from the early internet era: “If the product is free, you’re the product.” But in today’s audiovisual and collaboration industry, that idea goes far beyond social media platforms and search engines. It’s not just about what you post or click anymore — it’s about what your gear sees, hears and tracks. And increasingly, that data isn’t staying in the room.

We’ve entered an era where AV and collaboration technology is infused with sensors, analytics and AI — all in the name of glorious automation and productivity. But behind that convenience is something else: data collection. Room utilization metrics. Participant counts. Active speaker tracking. Idle time. Camera switching events. Device health. All of it is being captured — and not just for your dashboard.

If you think your device is just a piece of hardware, you may be overlooking its side hustle: reporting your usage, behaviors and patterns upstream. The gravity of data is shifting — not just physically to the cloud, but politically toward the vendors. Once that data leaves the room, you’ve lost control. Forever.

How Did We Get Here?

It started innocently enough. Facilities teams needed to know which rooms were being used and when. IT teams wanted to monitor device uptime and performance. Collaboration vendors responded with increasingly granular analytics. As I’ve written before, the two worlds are merging. In theory, that’s a good thing.

But what was once enterprise-controlled data is now often routed through third-party cloud services. And now that Microsoft is on the verge of monopolizing collaboration operating systems — whether Windows or the new MDEP-based Android — the stakes have changed.

Even if you’re not using a Microsoft Teams Room, if your device runs on a Microsoft platform, you may still be sharing data with Microsoft — whether you realize it or not.

Who Sees the Data?

That’s the million-dollar question — and one vendors rarely answer clearly.

When you install a collaboration bar or smart camera, does it send data to the manufacturer? The platform provider (Zoom, Microsoft, Google)? The OS owner (Microsoft)? The analytics vendor baked into the software stack? Sometimes, the answer is: all of them.

Take Microsoft’s Device Ecosystem Platform (MDEP), which I’ve covered extensively. It standardizes enterprise Android platforms and centralizes telemetry, updates and device management — all under Microsoft’s control. That may benefit end users in terms of security and reliability, but it also raises serious questions around data ownership and visibility.

Let’s not kid ourselves — this data is being collected. And, often, sold.

Even your smart TV is spying on you. Vendors like Samsung and LG collect viewing data to build audience profiles. They know what channel you’re watching, when you change inputs, whether you stream or watch over-the-air content, and how often you use your remote. (How do you think LG can release a report like this one on viewing habits without collecting data?) Some of that data is anonymized — sure. But much of it is sold. And it’s lucrative.

The Meeting Room Knows More Than You Think

Now imagine applying that same level of data collection to your meeting rooms.

Motion sensors detect how many people walk in. Microphones track voice activity to gauge engagement. Cameras follow faces and zoom in and out. None of this is new. What is new is how much of it is being captured, stored and — in some cases — shared. Not just in aggregate, but potentially tied to login credentials and platform identities.

Here’s the kind of metadata generated from just one meeting:

• Time and duration
• Number of participants
• Video on/off behavior
• Who spoke and for how long
• Whether the room was used as scheduled
• What software and devices were engaged
• Whether BYOD occurred — and from which operating systems
• And now, with AI: summaries of everything said by specific individuals

All of this can improve productivity and user experience. But it also paints a vivid picture of employee behavior, engagement patterns — even compliance. Are companies ready for that data to be repurposed or misused by a third party under the guise of “monitoring”?

What You Can Do About It

First, start asking tougher questions of your vendors. Who owns the telemetry your device collects? Is it opt-in or opt-out? Where is the data stored? Who has access? Does your enterprise have full visibility — or are you handing over valuable data without recourse?

Second, read the EULAs. Actually read them. A lot of AV vendors bury data-sharing terms in their user agreements where most IT teams won’t look.

Third, demand transparency and accountability. Just like organizations created governance models for email and document retention, we need the same for AV telemetry. Data minimization and anonymization should be defaults — not afterthoughts.

Final Thought: Data Gravity Is Shifting

As AV gear gets smarter, the gravity of data is shifting away from the enterprise and toward the ecosystem owners. That’s a strategic risk.

When collaboration platforms are free or heavily discounted, and hardware is subsidized through bulk deals, you’ve got to ask: How else is the provider getting paid?

If you’re not buying the product, you might be the product. And even if you are buying the product — you still might be.

In AV, it’s not just your voice being heard. It’s your preferences, patterns and behaviors. And someone, somewhere, is listening.

Remember that other old saying: “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.” Or at least, to get your data.