Posted on 01/22/2018 6:59:05 PM PST by BenLurkin
...NSA’s tool would be after a person’s voice instead of any particular words, which would make the wake-word safeguard much less of an issue. If you can get all the voice commands sent back to Google or Amazon servers, you’re guaranteed a full profile of the device owner’s voice...
When police try to collect recordings from a voice assistant, they have to play by roughly the same warrant rules as your email or Dropbox files — but the NSA might have a way to get around the warrant too. Collecting the data would still require a court order (in the NSA’s case, one approved by the FISA court), but the data wouldn’t necessarily need to be collected. In theory, the NSA could appeal to platforms to scan their own archives, arguing they would be helping to locate a dangerous terrorist. It would be similar to the scans companies already run for child abuse, terrorism or copyright-protected material on their networks, all of which are largely voluntary. If companies complied, the issue could be kept out of conventional courts entirely.
...After years of sealed litigation, it’s still unclear how much help the government has a right to compel. “To the extent platforms store biometrics, they are vulnerable to government demands for access and disclosure,” says Gidari. “I think the government could obtain a technical assistance order to facilitate the scan, and under [the technical assistance provision in] FISA, perhaps to build the tool, too.”
... Google and Amazon were trying to build useful assistants, and they likely didn’t consider that it could also be a tool of surveillance... what started as information technology is turning into a system of surveillance and control.
(Excerpt) Read more at www ...
Why would anyone knowingly bring one of these NSA devices into their house?
“Why would anyone knowingly bring one of these NSA devices into their house?”
God knows.. No way. First of all, I WANT to get up and do things for myself. I don’t want a computer to turn on lights that I can get up and turn on myself. I don’t need some verbal interface with a computer when I can get up and search for things myself. If I want verbal communication, I want it from other humans (or the squirrels and deer that are often in my yard). I’m happy to have working arms and legs, and I am happy that I can be active. I don’t want technology to make my life easier. My life is better when I use the physical abilities God gave me.
And, I don’t want to invite big brother into my home. People need to think about what freedom really is. To me, freedom is the ability to live your life independently, determining what you want to do and be, as an individual - entirely separate from other human beings. Freedom is about being a sacrosanct individual, self determining, a unique independent life. I don’t want the device of some conformist tech company defining any aspect of my life.
I read the story on The Verge... Half way down the page was an ad for Dish Network’s voice control remote system.
I think this is backwards. I believe Google and Amazon are building a system of surveillance and control. The useful assistance aspect is to get people to install it.
I was over at a friend’s house and he had gotten an Alexa. He said, “Go ahead ask her to find you a song.” So, I gave Alexa a singer and a song. Alexa does not know her country singers very well. Even after I repeated it three times.
The added plus is that people will pay to give Google/Govt complete access to their information and private thoughts. Win-win is what I think it’s called.
I think you have the essence of it.
“I think this is backwards. I believe Google and Amazon are building a system of surveillance and control. The useful assistance aspect is to get people to install it.“
This would be dreamland for Stalin and Beria. Not only do your targets buy the latest spy equipment for you, then they install and maintain it.
Thanks BenLurkin. Either product will come in handy for FISA fraud during the next Demwit administration.
I have a simple rule on gadgets. The question to ask is whether a gadget will make your life better or worse. Many things are expensive PITA’s with crashes, frustrations where you are the beta tester without knowing it, dead batteries you can’t replace yourself, software updates, and so on.
Many geek toys fail this test.
I would never want one of those devices in my home.
Yep.
Big Brother? Social networks are far worse, says Estonian president
"Not even the Stasi had data like Facebook"
"No government collects as much information about your preferences as a supermarket."
*Can use.
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