100%... kinda like lots of women's magazines telling them men are all scum in one article and the next telling them how to get one for their own
Posted on 01/08/2017 3:36:09 AM PST by markomalley
Shh! you may want to turn down your television set because Alexa the internet-connected home assistant device may be listening.
The Amazon Echo system which does everything from getting your weather report to ordering more laundry detergent can also do some things you don’t want it to.
When it comes to answering those tough questions or getting that extra help around the house, Alexa, the voice service that powers Amazon Echo is just a voice-command away.
Meyali Sanchez helps sell the system at Best Buy and even uses it at home.
“She is kind of like my little right hand. So for example if we’re cooking we like to try new recipes, once a week we like to try something new,” she said.
Alexa adapts to speech patterns and vocabulary. She can control your music and video library, set an alarm, control the thermostat, and even turn off the lights and its keeping local retail stores busy.
The device is convenient, but it’s also raising concerns over security and privacy.
“These devices don’t recognize your specific voice and so then we have the situations where you have a guest staying or you have a child who is talking and accidentally order something because the device isn’t aware that it’s a child versus a parent,” said Stephen Cobb, senior security researcher for ESET North America.
Which is exactly what happened today during CW6 in the morning when Jim Patton and Lynda Martin were talking about a child who accidentally bought a dollhouse and four pounds of cookies
“I love the little girl, saying ‘Alexa ordered me a dollhouse,’” said Patton.
As soon as Patton said that, viewers all over San Diego started complaining their echo devices had tried to order doll houses. It’s a common problem experts say can be avoided.
“All of these devices which record the internet of things will have some sort of website control, some sort of setting, sometimes the setting is on the device that is communicating. So you need to go into these settings and look at what they are, and what you can change,” said Cobb.
Cobb says the Federal Trade Commission is already looking into voice-command devices and toys to make sure the technology is safe and secure. For now, he recommends do your research to keep your personal information controlled and protected.
“Down the road the technology will be more sophisticated where it will be able to identify certain individuals and register people can access it,” he said.
Amazon says shopping settings can be managed via its Alexa app, including turning off voice purchasing and creating a confirmation code before any order.
The company also says any “accidental” physical orders can be returned for free.
The greenies and techies are pushing it. They want to implement it to reduce green house gases and improve traffic flows in big metro areas. Not sure how they are going handle the insurance. Guess we will cross that bridge when we get to it..
100%... kinda like lots of women's magazines telling them men are all scum in one article and the next telling them how to get one for their own
Heh, good point. I haven’t picked up a “women’s magazine” in decades, although I look at “People” in the line at Walmart.
“I think people should leave their communication “tools” sitting next to a conservative talk show station when not in use. I also believe it’s the politicians who will rue the day devices started listening.”
That is definitely one way to look at it.....”Let them listen Dammit, I’ll give them something to listen to!” On the other hand though, users of these devices are paying for and self installing our Master’s listening devices. As with the Cell Phone revolution, it can’t be a coincidence that the younger generations are both addicted to and 100% reliant upon these direct feeds to big brother.
There’s a Stephen King novel —and movie— in here somewhere.
Love my Alexa, too. I told my husband I accidentally ordered a Bentley.
Alexa, order me a new Kimber.
Gee, I don’t know where it came from...
lol
I actually asked Alexa to order me a Bentley after I joked with my husband. She found Bentley cuff links and I was going to order them as a joke but couldn’t remember the new pass code.
SKYNET!
SKYNET!
SKYNET!
Am I the only one that thinks this IoT (Internet of Things) is going to be the end of us? It might not be nuclear destruction, but it could be WORSE!
Pretty soon people will want a device that will breathe for them.
and monitoring the internet, oh my!!!!!!!!
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