Alexa has been eavesdropping on you this whole time

Washington Post ^ | May 6, 2019 | Geoffrey A. Fowler

[LIConFem]

"I’m quite sure my smart phone does that too, it’s just not so obvious about it."

Which is why I have neither Alexa nor a smartphone. And my computer doesn't have a camera or an internal speaker or mic. Don't need any of that crap. It's bad enough that there's so much of my personal info out on the 'net from browsing and shopping.

[usconservative]

I’m quite sure my smart phone does that too, it’s just not so obvious about it.

I think my smartphone (Android 9, Samsung Galaxy 9) listens MORE than my Alexa's do (I have five in my house.)

Last time I did a Google Search on my smartphone I didn't type more than two letters for what I wanted to search for and Google automatically filled in the rest.

I really don't care to be honest. I'm actually quite boring and the real only reason I have any Alexa devices in my house is to enable calling 9-11 in case I fall anywhere in my home. My medical condition is affecting my ability to walk and my balance and I've taken a number of falls in the last 14 months breaking a vertebrae, my tailbone and my right wrist. The wrist was so badly broken I needed surgery to put in two titanium plates and 12 screws to put it back together.

My kids wanted me to get Life Alert (not kidding ....) I said HELL NO to that and got a bunch of Alexa's instead. I don't really care if it listens. I live alone and live pretty much in silence in my home. No TV, occasionally music and lots of FR. If Alexa hears anything it's the sound of my keyboard clicking as I type.

[Lurkinanloomin]

This was why I would never have one of those.

What were the people who bought them thinking?

[usconservative]

OTOH, it just might provide an alibi when you otherwise might not otherwise have one.

Absolutely true. Anyone who's divorced needs an alibi 24x7 because we're the first one's suspected and investigated when something bad happens to the EX.

[grania]

Anybody who puts one of these devices in their homes is asking for it

Yeah. I have friends who are paranoid about privacy but have one. What are they thinking? It's activated by ANYONE who says "Alexa". It must've occurred to folks that it hears everything. It's scary that someone could be in your house, (guests, kids, workers) and access information that could be used as part of your record.

[avenir]

The old school method of counter surveillance is to be very quiet and own a special bird (LE SAMOURAI, 1967).

[DivineMomentsOfTruth]

I’ve never owned one and never will.
Same goes for FacistBook.

[OriginalChristian]

Bump

[central_va]

I don’t do FarceBook either.

[central_va]

I installed one of these. It's the only way to be sure.

[38special]

Sirius XM offered us a free Amazon Echo for the home but I was refused to accept it. They really pushed hard too. I told them I didn’t want such a device in my home.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

Livin’ the dream.
You are a great patriot, my friend.

[Rodm]

Not me! I don’t buy crap like this.

[Daniel Ramsey]

Turn them in for a giant bonfire.
Or in an event of insurrection use them as counter intelligence.

[The Great RJ]

I use my Alexa all the time. I review the recordings and anyone listening would hear my grocery list, my music preferences on Pandora and my playing question of the day with an occasional use as a kitchen timer. My phone conversations are far more private and those have been monitored for decades. If you are having private conversations turn off Alexa or go to another room

[marajade]

I like Alexa. I have echo shows in four rooms so I can drop in on my seriously ill husband.

I use her to help with lighting. I have one light set on a timer for my husband’s nurse for when they begin and end their shift.

I use her to help me with smart home appliances.

I use her to help me with my entertainment system.

I use her to listen to audio books.

[Jumper]

It does.

[wally_bert]

I refuse to have one of the things.

The most a smart phone picks up on is TCM or some old show on DVD.

[grania]

Wow....we think alike about this. I don't have Alexa or a Smart Phone. My computer is in a back room, not even with the same electrical wiring as the rest of the house. I don't have cable TV. I have a Garmin with the wrong address for me in the memory, so as not to have one that's built into a car. My trading account isn't connected to anything else. No bill paying or online banking.

It's more of a game than reality. BigBro knows everything it wants to know about someone. What creeped me out, totally, is kind of weird thinking. I'll never get a massage again. Bugging those massage rooms in FL to catch bill Belichik or whomever maybe breaking a law is too much. It's a total violation of privacy, in a way worse than even bugging a doctor's office would be. And Cohen having tapes of his client President Trump, and revealing them? Let that one sink in.

Privacy and freedom of thought/speech and innocent until proven guilty have become myths. But whenever possible, I'm going to keep the claws out of my personal spaces....house and car.

[DivineMomentsOfTruth]

I know my Samsung phone is definitely listening in. There is no way I’d get the very specific email advertisements I do shortly after I’ve talked about a subject the phone. It’s creepy beyond words.
The only person I want listening in is GOD!