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Are Smart Speakers Invading My Privacy?
Recently, for the holiday season, my wife and I purchased an Amazon Echo 2 for her Stepfather for Christmas. While we were all sitting at the dinner table I brought up what do you think about your new gift (Amazon Echo 2)?
He said I loved it! I can ask Alexa almost anything and she responds with an answer. His only concern was is Alexa always listening? I never really thought about it until we had the discussion.
I did some research and found out, smart speakers are actually always listening.
Which ask the question, are smart speakers invading my privacy?
Giving up your Privacy
In the last couple of years, consumers are increasingly giving up the rights to privacy online in using their phones, tablet, and computers.
Some are accepting being monitored (giving up location, purchasing history, and search history) by corporations, governments, and some just not aware.
As Americans, we’re spending more time online. Companies are collecting detailed information about customers in order to build profiles on them. In Fact, U.S. consumers have fewer internet privacy rights than those in other countries.
Companies and marketing firms have been gathering information about customers and potential customers for years online. This is not anything new.
We have lost control of our most personal information because of the lack of knowledge or just being lazy by not reading the fine print before you accept software license agreements.
In April 2017, Congress voted to allow internet service providers to collect and sell their customers’ browsing data.
But what does this all mean with smart speakers?
Here is Shelly Palmer on Fox 5 Interview Talking about Alexa and Smart Speakers
Google Home Mini was eavesdropping
One of the biggest questions people asked, what are the privacy implication of having a smart speaker listening to you all
day long? are smart speakers invading my privacy? Back in October of 2017, Google releases a couple of Google Home Mini for a product review to some media outlets before its release date.
A tech blogger and founder of Android Police, Artem Russakovskii was the first to discover a bug in the software used by those devices. After checking his google account page. Artem, realize it was recording audio clips in his home.
Now, it’s common for companies like Google and Amazon to be recording. Both have a microphone listening but supposedly only wake up and record after you say their wake words, “Okay Google/ Hey Google” or “Hey Alexa.” but in this case, the device wasn’t activated by the wake word.
Artem said, “My Google Home Mini was inadvertently spying on me 24/7 due to a hardware flaw,” he wrote on the site.
After the information was discovered, A Google spokesperson confirmed the issue. Unable to fix the glitch with the
touchpad, Google was forced to send out a software update which will now permanently disable it.
The manufactory said they throw away or don’t keep any data unless the trigger word is said. However, speakers are programmed to listen all the time but the idea is they don’t keep or transmit any data unless it is prefixed by the vocal phrases.
But from what we saw with the whole Google Home Mini bug scenario, sometimes that’s not true. It all comes down to how much you trust these providers.
“You Already Bugged Your Own House Years Ago” – Popular Machine
Smart Speakers Are Not The Only One’s Eavesdropping!
According to an article in the New York Times, more than 250 games that use Alphonso software are available in the Google Play store; some are also available in Apple’s app store.
Some of the trackings are taking place through gaming apps that do not otherwise involve a smartphone’s microphone, including some apps that are geared toward children.
The software can also detect sounds even when a phone is in a pocket if the apps are running in the background.
Yes, be skeptical! Be jealous of your privacy! But also be honest with yourself: You’d have to be crazy to believe this is the tipping point. We’re already in the deep end on this one. – Popular Machine
Can Smart Speakers be Hack?
Smart speakers only listening to those trigger words, but the capability is possible. The thing with these smart speakers it always has to be listening to activate the trigger words.
As for the public knows the speakers cannot be hack remotely so far, but, it is definitely possible to program one of these smart speakers. We saw that with the Google Home Mini.
The design flaw did not affect any paying customer since this was a product review model for members of the press. But, this issue drew a lot of attention to privacy concerns over “always-on devices” that listen for wake words.
What is a smart speaker?
- A smart speaker is a Wi-Fi-connected speaker controlled with voice commands. Technically, anything that a speaker does beyond just produce sound can be labeled as ‘smart.’
- Smart speakers are not just for playing your favorite music. They also can answer questions, broadcast the weather, give you updates on the latest news report, make phone calls, and carry out simple commands.
- To use the hands-free device, you speak a trigger phrase, such as “OK Google/ Hey Google,” “Alexa” and then ask a question such as “what time is it?” or make a request like “order pizza.” The speakers are powered by smart assistants like Google and Alexa that talk back.
How does it work?
Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) is the ability or program or machine to receive and to understand and carry out spoken commands.
There are different names people call it. Natural Language Understanding (NLU), or Intelligent voice control system (IVCS), which enable a system to instantly recognize and respond to voice control.
Most Smart speakers tend to be single unit speakers, and have artificial intelligence (AI) from Amazon, Apple, Google, built into them.
Who Makes Smart Speakers?
- Amazon created the smart speaker market back in 2014 with the release of the Amazon Echo.
- Google, followed in 2016 with Google Home.
- Microsoft is currently working with Harman Kardon on their own pair of the smart speaker, which uses voice-assistant Cortana.
- In February 2018, Apple released the Home Pod.
Who is it for?
Anyone who is interested in automating their home with voice assistants, any tasks such as phone calls, ordering pizza, Uber, busy baking, or anything that will benefit from a hands-free computer, learn more about the pros and cons of a smart speaker here.
The list of things you can do with smart speakers across all of these devices is limitless.
As A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) keeps growing, so, will voice-activated assistant speakers. Everything you dream of as a kid, watching The Jetsons is not fiction but now more of a reality.
Is Smart Speaker Dangerous?
Smart Speakers are not dangerous. The data it collects is not dangerous. Nothing about a smart speaker is dangerous. It’s a great device.
We have a Google Mini in the bedroom and in the living room, a Google Home.
It’s an awesome controller, great for games, striking Spotify, an amazing news and weather reporter, and it does lots of other things you can look up online. We actually love it!
How to Stay Off the Radar?
As for myself, we have a few tips to help protect you from all listening to hearing devices.
- Turn off the microphone on Google Home and Amazon Echo speakers. There’s a button, Google Home speaker it’s in the back, for Amazon Echo speakers it’s at the top. It’s a way to ensure privacy. You will always have to remember to neutralize the assistant, but at least it’s something.
- Use antivirus protection of PCs, tablets, and smartphones to decrease the risk of data leaks and to keep criminals out.
- For Google Home App you can turn off guest mode in speaker settings. This will eliminate someone in your household to say “Hey Google” and potentially turn into a real nuisance.
Why Should We Pay Attention to Our Privacy?
Let’s face it. AI (Artificial Intelligent) will be the future no matter if you agree or not. There is a new gadget or device coming
out every year with A.I. Integration. Such as laptops, tablets, mobile smartphones, and even social media. In the next 5 to 10 years. Our home will be a different place that we live in due to automation.
But, technology is more than just our assistant or fun and games but also revolutionizing the way we live, travel, our health, and much more. Technology is capable of empowering every single individual in the world, even the worst of us.
With that being said, we have to pay close attention to technology, as it may also be evading our privacy, our First Amendment and privacy can be at stake. Recently, CNN reported, police tried to get an Echo’s recordings as evidence in a recent murder trial.
Google Home and Amazon Echo both include mute buttons. As far as Apple, no announcement has been made to say if or how its speaker could be muted.
Most people have no idea how much information about them is actually available for sale.
We are here to educate and provide perspective on what’s going on in Home Automation (Check out Intro to Smart Home Automation 101).
We hope you find this blog informative as we are here to educate and provide perspective on what’s going on in the tech world that relates to our everyday life.
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It's great to see that you have come across my website. I hope you explore it thoroughly. The website caters to regular consumers who have an interest in home automation. I am based in the Tri-state area and enjoy the latest smart tech along with my wonderful wife and three energetic boys.
