What good is Alexa.

[FishFright]

If the government wanted to put microphones into your house they'd be uproar. But be told by a mega corp that everyone else has one so it's really cool and the turkey's not only line up for Christmas , they pay for the privilege .
There really is no hope for humanity is there?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Alexa was one of the best inventions of the NSA and GCHQ. Get the fools to install a full time listening device into their homes.

 

[Salty seadog]

If the government wanted to put microphones into your house they'd be uproar. But be told by a mega corp that everyone else has one so it's really cool and the turkey's not only line up for Christmas , they pay for the privilege .
There really is no hope for humanity is there?

Alexa was one of the best inventions of the NSA and GCHQ. Get the fools to install a full time listening device into their homes.

I seem to recall Amazon admitting that the system for capturing and processing conversation was there but wasn't active.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I seem to recall Amazon admitting that the system for capturing and processing conversation was there but wasn't active.

It is active, security researchers reported on the data Alexa sends to their data centres. Rather a chatty device over the Internet.

 

[derrick]

So basically a listening device, with not a very good sound, only when it farts, I think i will pass on this one, I will just have to keep getting up to turn the lights and tv on and off.

 

[Salty seadog]

It is active, security researchers reported on the data Alexa sends to their data centres. Rather a chatty device over the Internet.

I'm quite sure it is. In general a Company will happily break the law if they are confident the gains outweigh the penalties which is pretty much 100% of the time. I don't trust the gig economy one bit. That's not to say the bricks and mortar have higher morals though.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

So basically a listening device, with not a very good sound, only when it farts, I think i will pass on this one, I will just have to keep getting up to turn the lights and tv on and off.

3am and 3:15am as agreed but open curtains if you are compromised.

 

[Edwardoka]

I seem to recall Amazon admitting that the system for capturing and processing conversation was there but wasn't active.

I used to think that Vlad was a vampire but he assured me that he wasn't so I must have been wrong.

In order to respond at all it *has* to listen to everything. While device-side it will be capable of understanding "Alexa" without much difficulty, for the speech recognition to not be completely inadequate, your requests will be sent over the wire and interpreted server-side before coming back as an action for your device(s) to perform.

Expecting Amazon to behave in entirely good faith is extremely wishful thinking; expecting the trusty listening post in people's homes to be completely secure, tamper-proof and impossible to subvert is madness.

 

[Kempstonian]

Aside from the spying aspect, I think these devices just encourage laziness. I won't have one in my house.

 

[tom73]

We don't know that, because none of Apples proprietory software is open source, so no one (except Cellebrite and the IDF) can see what algorithms are in place to direct data. We have only the assurance of a company with a less than average record when forced to decide between ethics or profit. All the big players, including Apple, have been caught out fibbing enough times that we shouldn't take anything they say on trust.

They may not be totally clean at times. But they never have been a data company. What we do know from company insiders and tear down of products. Is Siri process all quests on the device. Any data sent to server is sent with personal info removed the device then put the two together having never shaired it with anyone.

Unlike the rest that just act as a middle man for a server. The other thing Siri is not on all the time it has to activated by the user. Google got found out and issued a software update for google home it worked only if user turned on said update however. One big issue for why Siri can be found wanting is unlike the rest it is not havisting every bit of data to learn all it can.
The other thing to remember if Apple was in the data game it would not waste it’s time on a high end product it would want HomePod in every home. Cheep smart speckers are cheep for a reason.

 

[mustang1]

I only use it to listen to music. Wet asking questions and setting reminders and things like that, I prefer Google.

 

[Bazzer]

My mum is getting one this Christmas but she is suffering from limited mobility and sight and my sister and I think it will be useful to help control the heating in her rooms, lights, and provide talking books.
On the other hand, having considered one myself, I was put off by adverts for them. IIRC something about putting on the Christmas lights. My first thoughts were a) lazy sod and b)what was wrong with a timer or actually putting in a plug in a socket?

 

[FishFright]

I only use it to listen to music. Wet asking questions and setting reminders and things like that, I prefer Google.

And it only uses you to learn things about you to sell , the reason these things are so 'affordable' is that your info is the actual product.

 

[Milzy]

It’s worth a nod & a wink to a blind man.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

They're perfectly safe if you put small tinfoil hats* on them.




*£49.99 to Amazon Prime customers