Ambient lighting systems provide accent and subtlety to homes, and are also a favorite of designers of luxury products wishing to highlight their wares.

There's a dark side to ambient light sensors that you may not realize, and some researchers have found a novel way to exploit this component.

Ambient light sensors can reveal your device activity. How big a threat is it? For now, there's no reason for concern, but that could change in coming years.

The new patent describes "electronic devices with display-integrated light sensors" and specifically refers to methods by which the company could stack the iPhone's ambient light sensor underneath ...