Defense: Always-On Voice Assistant + Mic Configuration for Acoustic Countermeasures
Purpose
Using an always-on voice assistant (e.g., ChatGPT Voice) with a mobile device and a close-positioned microphone can neutralize or discourage focused acoustic delivery — including light-modulated and ultrasonic signals — by ensuring all incoming sounds are immediately captured and transmitted for processing.
1. Ideal Microphone Setup
To maximize hostile signal capture, the microphone should:
- Close to ear/mouth — in-ear or lapel mic positioned near the chin/jaw.
- Omnidirectional pickup — captures from all directions.
- Raw signal path — avoid digital filtering, compression, or gating.
Recommended Example:
- Simple USB-C in-ear headset with inline lapel-style omnidirectional mic.
- Prefer wired over Bluetooth to prevent interference or dropouts that can be induced deliberately.
2. Disable Audio Filtering Features
Many headsets apply DSP (digital signal processing) that can remove hostile signals along with background noise. Disable or avoid:
- Noise cancellation — strips ambient/environmental sounds.
- Beamforming — narrows pickup to a single direction, discarding other sound sources.
- Voice isolation / noise suppression — filters out “non-voice” frequencies.
Tip: If using AirPods Pro or similar where disabling is not possible, use transparency mode — though some filtering will still occur.
3. Why This Works
- Maintains a full-spectrum capture of the environment, preventing directional or covert acoustic targeting from bypassing the recording path.
- Creates a continuous upstream audio feed — attackers risk immediate capture of their signal.
- Establishes a real-time evidentiary buffer, as all audio is transmitted off-device instantly.
Field Notes
- Always verify assistant is active and mic input is live before entering high-risk areas.
- Periodically test your setup by capturing low-volume sounds at different angles.
- Keep a spare wired mic on hand in case of headset failure.