They're Listening

[Qlip]

Did anybody read about this?

Woman says her Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact | KIRO-TV

My gf actually experienced something similar. She was in the middle of a therapy session over the phone, on her headphones, when Echo thought it heard "Call Mark Rawlins". It dialed Mark, an ex coworker of mine. Luckily she managed to hear some odd noises past he headphones and told echo to disconnect. The above were accidents. Imagine how easily it would be to listen into your always on internet appliances if the services, or those with some pull with them, wanted to. Not to mention any particular security holes that hackers might be able to exploit.

I ended up getting rid of my Echo. Are you comfortable with such devices in your home. Is it worth the convenience to you?

 

[Luminous]

Nope, not comfortable.

 

[The Cat]

Did anybody read about this?

Woman says her Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact | KIRO-TV

My gf actually experienced something similar. She was in the middle of a therapy session over the phone, on her headphones, when Echo thought it heard "Call Mark Rawlins". It dialed Mark, an ex coworker of mine. Luckily she managed to hear some odd noises past he headphones and told echo to disconnect. The above were accidents. Imagine how easily it would be to listen into your always on internet appliances if the services, or those with some pull with them, wanted to. Not to mention any particular security holes that hackers might be able to exploit.

I ended up getting rid of my Echo. Are you comfortable with such devices in your home. Is it worth the convenience to you?

I'm not, so I don't, they aren't even that convenient to me; tbh, I dont see the appeal.

 

[Population: 1]

I find it funny (strange) that people still talk about privacy as if it is still a thing. I’ve seen technology progress for almost half a century and privacy went away a long while back. Big Brother, little brother anyone and everyone can be watching listening and cataloging everything you do. I shrug at this point. We had privacy now we don’t. Collectively we let it be taken for the sake of convenience.

 

[Qlip]

I find it funny (strange) that people still talk about privacy as if it is still a thing. I’ve seen technology progress for almost half a century and privacy went away a long while back. Big Brother, little brother anyone and everyone can be watching listening and cataloging everything you do. I shrug at this point. We had privacy now we don’t. Collectively we let it be taken for the sake of convenience.

There are things you can do. Use VPNs, buy unlocked phones and be more careful about the apps installed on it or just go flip-phone, change security policies, remove yourself from social media, use non google products. I'm currently transitioning my daily usage to such things. While there are some things that a person can't opt out of, it's not an all or nothing situation. Surely there's a line you draw for yourself, no matter what "collectively" everybody else is doing?

 

[Forever]

There was a Silicon Valley episode (Season 4 I believe?) on Jian Yang's Smart Fridge listening in to everything you say and ask you if you like to make a purchase of any product mentioned.

...

later on the company is sued for [spoiler reasons] but the essential thing to take away is that a fridge picks up anything you say and the logs the voice recordings could be stored away somewhere. Even if the company themselves don't look, if hacked... well there goes all privacy haha.

 

[Population: 1]

There are things you can do. Use VPNs, buy unlocked phones and be more careful about the apps installed on it or just go flip-phone, change security policies, remove yourself from social media, use non google products. I'm currently transitioning my daily usage to such things. While there are some things that a person can't opt out of, it's not an all or nothing situation. Surely there's a line you draw for yourself, no matter what "collectively" everybody else is doing?

Sure I’d worry about data breaches. Pointless electronic eavesdropping? If someone wants to listen in on the boring monotonous conversations I engage hey whatever makes your dough rise I guess.

I thankfully avoided Facebook and all that trendy social media crap in the first place. I frankly don’t care enough about most people to engage with them.

 

[Lark]

I had an uncle who wouldnt ever by a flat screen TV or smart TV as he believed they were watching everyone in the room or at least capable of it should someone hijack them.

 

[Norrsken]

I just can't give a damn, honestly. I really don't have anything to hide. Unless it tries to send people my SSN or where I live so that anyone can come and barge in, I really don't care.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

It seems like the technology hasn’t quite caught up with the expectations and demands set by marketing.

 

[Coriolis]

There are things you can do. Use VPNs, buy unlocked phones and be more careful about the apps installed on it or just go flip-phone, change security policies, remove yourself from social media, use non google products. I'm currently transitioning my daily usage to such things. While there are some things that a person can't opt out of, it's not an all or nothing situation. Surely there's a line you draw for yourself, no matter what "collectively" everybody else is doing?

I do all these things and more, exactly for this reason. I won't use devices like echo either, obviously.

 

[ceecee]

There are things you can do. Use VPNs, buy unlocked phones and be more careful about the apps installed on it or just go flip-phone, change security policies, remove yourself from social media, use non google products. I'm currently transitioning my daily usage to such things. While there are some things that a person can't opt out of, it's not an all or nothing situation. Surely there's a line you draw for yourself, no matter what "collectively" everybody else is doing?

Right. I have never particularly cared what others do in this area. I disabled the ACR technology on all our TV's, use a router with VPN as well as browser. People can poo-poo this but the Russian part is irrelevant as it could be anyone.

FBI warns Russians hacked hundreds of thousands of routers | Reuters

Burner phone numbers and emails for the little social media I use, no Google stuff. I don't think it's like - I can't win at this so they can listen or do whatever they want with my info. No. Fuck no. That whole nothing to hide is how you lose freedoms because it's easier to just not care. I don't want Echo or Alexa, make sure to change passwords often and as much as my husband wants one, no way I'm getting a smart fridge.

I would also be thinking of Silicone Valley and Suck it Jin Yang! every time I looked at it.

 

[Virtual ghost]

I wasn't born in democracy and this all normal to me. Plus it is stupid to panic since the best way to avoid any detection is to end your life.
Not to mention that if you hide your stuff very carefully you are the first to trigger attention ... and then you will probably be searched in detail.

 

[Bush]

“Echo woke up due to a word in background conversation sounding like 'Alexa.' Then, the subsequent conversation was heard as a “send message” request. At which point, Alexa said out loud 'To whom?' At which point, the background conversation was interpreted as a name in the customer’s contact list. Alexa then asked out loud, '[contact name], right?' Alexa then interpreted background conversation as 'right.' As unlikely as this string of events is, we are evaluating options to make this case even less likely.”

I don't have a problem with these devices, really, but the default should be for these sorts of features to be disabled. But of course that's by and large just not in the companies' best interests. At least, not yet.

A halfway viable alternative is being knowledgeable about what it is that you own and what you do and being smart about what you do with it. Especially knowing how to turn things off or what third-party extensions are out there that can. Best case is that you can game these things to get the advantages without the disadvantages.

I use mine for playing music and adding stuff to my grocery list. It's capable of much more, but the convenience isn't worth the tradeoff.

I don't have much to hide, but I'm not going to give up my info for free, either.