Do you trust Amazon Alexa? (1 Viewer)

[Martin Dew]

Martin Dew submitted a new blog post

Do you trust Amazon Alexa?

Continue reading the Original Blog Post.

 

[John Dirk]

It’s more than reasonable for consumers to expect that companies like Amazon do not invade the sanctity of private conversations in their own homes, and we should demand that companies respect that.”

This may have been sound reasoning perhaps 20 years ago but today the opposite is clearly true. Anyone who buys these types of devices [from any provider] and believes they are not being used to mine data in the background is naive at best. Now whether you're OK with these practices or not is a separate issue. Some may find the features and convenience offered by the devices compelling enough to offset the privacy concerns; Others may not. Either way, the notion that companies who make their fortunes compiling and selling [supposedly aggregate] personal data would forego the practice with their most intrusive class of products to date is patently ridiculous in my view. These products represent the modern incarnation of the Trojan Horse.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Big Brother is watching...and listening!

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Bloomberg is reporting that Alexa team can access user's home address.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-access-customers-home-addresses?srnd=premium

 

[Malcolm R]

Yeah, I don't believe I would ever have one of these in my home. I don't even like to turn on the location feature on my cell phone or tablet, and it makes me nervous when app updates say they need access to the microphone and camera, for whatever reasons.

 

[Dave Moritz]

The answer is absolutely no! Not only do I not trust Amazon Alexa but I do not trust Google Assistant or Apple Siri! It is bad enough we had a spy device in our mist before these digital voice enabled devices. So many are people are addicted to the device we call smart phones! So with those they can track us almost anywhere we go! They can technically listen in and access the camera and look at the websites we go on. Now on top of that they can record us and listen in on us and sell the data on keywords we search and what we buy! They know what music people listen to and what movies you watch! It is amazing and sickening how much data is stored on every single person using technology today. I can unlike many out there walk away from my smart phone at any time and honestly can live without it! I might have a few compatible devices but I do not own any of the actual devices like Alexa, Google Assistant or Apple Siri! And to be honest I have no interest in owning any of them! I believe we are close to the point where we will miss the days when the government had to actually get warrants legally to place microphones in hour homes and businesses. Heck now companies can do the same thing and no crime is involved!

 

[Dave Moritz]

I trust Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Siri about as much as I trust a scorpion or snake! ROFL

 

[dana martin]

No

 

[TonyD]

Eh. I’m not doing anything I need to worry about. Let them hear it all.

 

[JohnRice]

I even turn off the internet download feature of my BluRay player. So, the answer is no. I can't live in the modern world and not be tracked at all, but I definitely minimize it as much as I can.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Eh. I’m not doing anything I need to worry about. Let them hear it all.

That's the way we feel, too. The Amazon Echo devices are a convenience we enjoy, and I'm not too worried about what Amazon hears in our household.

 

[Carabimero]

I would never have one of these in my home. We have some close friends that have some in their home, and I feel like there's no privacy in their house. It's bad enough when I use the word "boat" in an email and then everywhere I go on the Internet I see boats for sale. But private conversations at home...sheesh.

 

[TonyD]

I have a few Dots and now the Echo. The one with a rectangle shape screen

Now there’s one for your car.
I signed up nearly a year ago for their half off price by invitation for the launch of Echo Auto.

It’s $25 fir this initial sale.
It appears to be like the Dot but works in your car in conjunction with the app on your phone.

Not sure if I’ll bite or not.

 

[BobO'Link]

No.

I have a Fire tablet - "Alexa" is disabled and has been since I got the thing (plus I rarely use that device and typically have to charge it when I do use it).

I got a Google Home (or some Google "assistant" type box) thing "free" when I upgraded my internet. It's still in the box and will likely wind up in my workplace's electronic recycling bin.

 

[ChristopherG]

not completely (in answer to the question posed)

 

[David Norman]

Pretty much all the Cortana, Siri, Alexa;s, Dots, Echos, Nests, smart toilets, and the host of Interactive Smart Home/Car tech that's connected outside my control -- not in the least.

I think that's already been shown beyond any shadow of a doubt that either the companies themselves or the hackers behind the scenes already have control of all those devices often enough to make 1984 anmd Brave New World look like Mary Poppins.

Yes I am one of those with a black piece of tape over any SmartPhone, Laptop Cam