That Amazon Echo You Got for Xmas? Here’s Why the Cops May Want to Listen in on Your Recordings

Heatstreet ^ | January 3, 2016 | Emily Zanotti

[C19fan]

Devices like Amazon’s Echo and Google Home were big sellers over the holidays, with people all over the country turning their houses over to digital assistants.

But while a virtual butler seems like a great idea, consumers are slowly coming to grips with the implications of the “smart home.” Devices that can answer questions are also taking notes. And while that may help digital assistants like Alexa become better and faster, it also helps law enforcement listen in on private conversations.

[Swordmaker]

If you value your privacy, you may want to know that the Amazon Echo is always listening and recording what you are saying in your house, and that the authorities can subpoena that recording! — PING!

Pinging dayglored and ThunderSleeps for their lists. . .

SHHHH! Your Amazon Echo Is Listening
Ping!

The latest Apple/Mac/iOS Pings can be found by searching Keyword "ApplePingList" on FreeRepublic's Search.

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me

[Swordmaker]

Pinging for your tech list.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Imagine tools like this in East Germany before the walls fell.

"Temba, his arms wide." (Moron buys Amazon Echo).

"Shaka, when the walls fell." (Same moron realizes his mistake when the jackboots break down his front door).

[jalisco555]

Coming to every room at the Wynn Hotel in Vegas.

http://www.roboticstrends.com/article/amazon_echo_coming_to_every_room_of_wynn_las_vegas_hotel

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Makes me nervous about Siri . . .

[Swordmaker]

Makes me nervous about Siri . . .

Siri only activates by either holding down the home button on the iPhone/IPod, clicking the Siri icon on the Mac, or by saying "Hey Siri" which recognition is processed locally before making a connection to the cloud super-computers for the rest of your request. With Apple's Siri, unlike Amazon Echo, nothing is permanently recorded.

[Rebelbase]

Why do you assume it’s beyond the realm of possibility that these units record all the time? Because google said so?

[roadcat]

Makes me nervous about Siri . . .

I have a few questions. I understand that it's listening for your prompt, as in "Hey Siri".

#1) I suppose nothing gets recorded up to that point of getting Siri's attention, correct?

Then I ask a question of Siri.

#2) Does Apple record the results of an inquiry and record it, as does Echo?

If the authorities get access to Echo's database to sift through thousands of recordings in able to find those belonging to the person being investigated, is that not a violation of others' rights? Even if they had a warrant for one individual, they're looking at and listening to potentially thousands of innocent individuals not covered under warrant. This is a bad thing and should be blocked by Amazon.

[roadcat]

Never mind, got my answer from you in your following reply.

[American in Israel]

“The device is not listening in to everything a user says at home.”

Nothing a little background firmware upgrade could not fix. Literally the hardware is listening to everything, once it identifies keywords it starts a subroutine. “Alexia” keys full transmission and vocalize reception routine. Easy to add other keyword routines and/or just lock on transmission.

Like bible, guns or FReeper routines.

[chaosagent]

From what I’m hearing, Alexa listens to EVERYTHING, and uploads it to the cloud.

---

This is not correct. Alexa is only listening for the Wakeup Word ‘Alexa’ or ‘Amazon’. When you say Alexa she then starts listening and recording what you say.

Example: Alexa, how far is it to Houston, TX?

As soon as you pause for a couple of seconds, she stops recording and uploads your query to Google. When she receives the answer, ‘The distance to Houston TX is 345 miles.” she repeats it back to you and then shuts down, waking for the next wakeup word.

Your queries are recorded, but can be deleted using the Alexa app.

So unless you ask Alexa “What’s the best way to kill my wife.” there will be nothing incriminating on there. If you say Alexa but then don’t say anything, she shuts right back off.

If you’re really paranoid, you can shut the microphone off at the unit and then use the $30 optional remote. With it Alexa only listens to you when you press the Mic button.

[AmericanMermaid]

My highly liberal SIL and her husband own one. These are the same people who didn’t want EZ Pass because “George Bush might find out where we are at all times.” I asked their Alexa, in Spanish, if she was a whore. Alexa has no sense of humor.

[chaosagent]

Why do you assume it’s beyond the realm of possibility that these units record all the time? Because google said so?

---

No, because a number of tech blogs have disassemble the units and checked thoroughly for what is sent and when.

[numberonepal]

The only other possibility is that the computer keeps a record of my online purchases and the delivery schedule for them.

That's exactly what it's doing. You have an Amazon cookie with all that info. You should see targeted ads on sites you've never visited and ones you frequent through Google ads.

There are 4 ways to store information on your computer from a web site:

1. URL history and cached pages from that history.
2. Cookies - these are small text files stored in temporary internet files with information of one sort or another.
3. localStorage - this is sort of like a cookie as it stores the information in a file on your computer.
4. sessionStorage - this is the same as localStorage except that it is automatically deleted when you session is over. Unless the developer put code in to delete this, it will delete when you close your browser

[linear]

Fair enough. I don’t put rattlers on my windows either, so it is possible that someone from google is using a laser to pick up my voice conversations that way.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Literally the hardware is listening to everything

I should have said "the cloud-based logic is not listening to everything". The device itself does not transmit any voice input that doesn't start with the keyword. Yes, it would be easy to modify from a technical standpoint - legally and in terms of the impact on their ability to sell these things, it would be a disaster.

[chuckles]

So what your saying is you believe everything they tell you?

[chaosagent]

So what your saying is you believe everything they tell you?

---

Not necessarily, but I do believe the number of different tech blogs that took the things apart and tested them while they monitored all signals in and out.

They confirm that no data is coming out of the unit when it’s just sitting there waiting for you to say ‘Alexa’. At that point you can see your query data being sent to Amazon. Then you can see the answer coming back in.

After that, no more data. Your query is recorded but can be deleted via the Alexa app.

You can easily check this for yourself with a Wi-Fi monitor.

[chuckles]

The data will not be on the Alexa, but in the cloud under your account. How much data can be stored in a couple of gigs of space?

If the Alexa is "listening" for the command, "Alexa", can it not be transmitting ALL data to the cloud? Your Alexa is just another data collection device to feed info to Google, Amazon, or whoever the maker might be. I have NO doubt that the owner of the data is sifting your data to sell to someone else, also. Your Alexa is waiting for the command phrase to perform, but that has nothing to do with it listening to 100% of everything that is said.

Ask yourself if it is connected to the internet all the time? Ask yourself if you believe if it is listening to every word that is said? Ask yourself if Google or Amazon uses data to generate money? What would you think if you were discussing a cruise with your spouse and the next thing you know you are covered with cruise adds on your phone and laptop? Have you ever looked at something on Amazon or Ebay and the next time you go to Drudge, there is that item with a button to go to on Amazon or Ebay?

You have to look a little deeper than just saying the Alexa command and the device activating. You cannot deny it is listening to everything that is said. Why else would cops insists they get access to Alexa data about a murder?

You have to ask yourself, would Bezos place a microphone in your home and not listen to it? Does he put cookies on your device to phone home right now? I've been told I have a tin foil hat several times, but I can tell you that later, it comes out I was right. I worked for SBC for 30 years and I knew years before it came out that the government was saving meta data on callers. I put the circuits in to make the fiber ring go to the government so they could break in to any conversation they wanted. It was discussed years ago that test centers were going to be moved to Mexico to fire us to save money. That was decided against because they could control our phone traffic from their government administrations. The next thing you know the same type circuits were routed to Virginia. Why would a Texas company be sending their data to Virginia? A few years later, Snowden happened. Data is the most valuable commodity today for commerce and governments. Amazon is no different. I would put it at about 90% that Amazon is storing all sounds the Alexa hears in the cloud. They would be foolish not to. For goodness sake, you car stores where you go, how fast you go, and saves it for people other than you to look at. "Smart" TV's, Toasters, Refrigerators, washers and dryers, will all soon be hooked to the internet. You are giving up everything for just a small convenience. Is it really worth it to have a refrigerator that will make a grocery list for you and listen to everything you say. How about getting health care from the government and the ice box tells on you that you ate ice cream last night? I look for any day now your cashier at Walmart to refuse to sell you ice cream because ObamaCare is paying for your Metformin. Their registers are connected to a network to order new inventory for Walmart, but could easily be monitored by the government or someone Walmart was being paid to allow to access. Data is a resource to be bought and sold.