5 ms·

The AI fear mongering is getting old. If you don't want an Alexa or Google Home, then don't buy one. Personally, I ask Google questions all day long and miss

The AI fear mongering is getting old. If you don't want an Alexa or Google Home, then don't buy one. Personally, I ask Google questions all day long and miss it when I don't have it around. It allows me to learn lots of little things all of the time, and I would be happy to have contextual suggestions as long as it was truly trying to be helpful rather than only sell shit.

tomrod 7y ago
Do you turn off your Alexa when visitors come over? Should I ask if I visit, and how would you respond?
- tracer4201 7y ago
  If it concerns you that much, maybe you should ask. If you don’t want to visit someone who has one of these devices, that’s entirely up to you. I personally have Google Home in my home. Haven’t had any problems with anything but the fear mongering.
- taeric 7y ago
  This is silly. Do you also worry about everyone's phone? It is not uncommon to see folks accidently activate Siri. Or Google. Usually to laughs. If someone is wanting to be nefarious... I'd be more worried about the people you have over to your house, than the people's houses you go to.
  - tomrod 7y ago
    I do worry about people's phones.
- function_seven 7y ago
  If I had visitors insist that I put my cell phone in the refrigerator when they come by, I'd politely decline the visit instead. I treat the Echo the same way. I don't mind if friends have their own preferences when it comes to "smart" things, but I won't indulge their paranoia in my house. These things have been out for years now, and I've yet to see any evidence that they're always listening or exfiltrating your conversations to HQ. Just vague anecdotes about people seeing ads after they discussed some product, or how their Alexa made a VoIP call by mistake (which, going back to the cell phone analogy, is the same as a butt-dial.) If you got some particularly sensitive information to talk about, then let's just make sure she's muted for that conversation. I'll do that while you lock your phone to prevent the butt-dial.
  - unionpivo 7y ago
    Uhh ... https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/amazon-alexa-recording-listen-how-to-delete-echo-privacy-a8905326.html https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/ne... https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2019/04/12/amazon-staff-are-listening-to-alexa-conversations-heres-what-to-do/#6e7508c671a2 https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2019/04/12/amaz... https://www.washingtonpost.com/gdpr-consent/?destination=%2ftechnology%2f2019%2f05%2f06%2falexa-has-been-eavesdropping-you-this-whole-time%2f%3f https://www.washingtonpost.com/gdpr-consent/?destination=%2f... That said I agree its your home, and me as a potential visitor, will not expect you to disable/enable any devices on my account
- tingletech 7y ago
  there is a button on top of mine that makes it turn "red" and disables it waking up on the word, I would offer to hit that button, and if you did't trust that I guess we could unplug it. It is not hard to re-setup if it looses it's memory.
millstone 7y ago
“Don’t buy one” may soon cease to be an option, just like smart TVs. Heck you get it even if you don’t buy it. My headphones were software updated with Google Assistant, plus there was the infamous Nest smoke alarm.
- reaperducer 7y ago
  A lot of cable/satellite boxes have Google and Amazon's assistants built in. And real estate developers have been putting up apartment buildings for at least three years with Alexa built in to the apartments. It's only a matter of time before these "features" are in everyone's homes whether they want them or not.
- jakeogh 7y ago
  I'm with ya, as long market forces are still at work I'll vote with my $'s every chance I get. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21302825 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21302825

tomrod 7y ago

Do you turn off your Alexa when visitors come over? Should I ask if I visit, and how would you respond?

tracer4201 7y ago
If it concerns you that much, maybe you should ask. If you don’t want to visit someone who has one of these devices, that’s entirely up to you. I personally have Google Home in my home. Haven’t had any problems with anything but the fear mongering.
taeric 7y ago
This is silly. Do you also worry about everyone's phone? It is not uncommon to see folks accidently activate Siri. Or Google. Usually to laughs. If someone is wanting to be nefarious... I'd be more worried about the people you have over to your house, than the people's houses you go to.
- tomrod 7y ago
  I do worry about people's phones.
function_seven 7y ago
If I had visitors insist that I put my cell phone in the refrigerator when they come by, I'd politely decline the visit instead. I treat the Echo the same way. I don't mind if friends have their own preferences when it comes to "smart" things, but I won't indulge their paranoia in my house. These things have been out for years now, and I've yet to see any evidence that they're always listening or exfiltrating your conversations to HQ. Just vague anecdotes about people seeing ads after they discussed some product, or how their Alexa made a VoIP call by mistake (which, going back to the cell phone analogy, is the same as a butt-dial.) If you got some particularly sensitive information to talk about, then let's just make sure she's muted for that conversation. I'll do that while you lock your phone to prevent the butt-dial.
- unionpivo 7y ago
  Uhh ... https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/amazon-alexa-recording-listen-how-to-delete-echo-privacy-a8905326.html https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/ne... https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2019/04/12/amazon-staff-are-listening-to-alexa-conversations-heres-what-to-do/#6e7508c671a2 https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2019/04/12/amaz... https://www.washingtonpost.com/gdpr-consent/?destination=%2ftechnology%2f2019%2f05%2f06%2falexa-has-been-eavesdropping-you-this-whole-time%2f%3f https://www.washingtonpost.com/gdpr-consent/?destination=%2f... That said I agree its your home, and me as a potential visitor, will not expect you to disable/enable any devices on my account
tingletech 7y ago
there is a button on top of mine that makes it turn "red" and disables it waking up on the word, I would offer to hit that button, and if you did't trust that I guess we could unplug it. It is not hard to re-setup if it looses it's memory.

millstone 7y ago

“Don’t buy one” may soon cease to be an option, just like smart TVs. Heck you get it even if you don’t buy it. My headphones were software updated with Google Assistant, plus there was the infamous Nest smoke alarm.

reaperducer 7y ago
A lot of cable/satellite boxes have Google and Amazon's assistants built in. And real estate developers have been putting up apartment buildings for at least three years with Alexa built in to the apartments. It's only a matter of time before these "features" are in everyone's homes whether they want them or not.
jakeogh 7y ago
I'm with ya, as long market forces are still at work I'll vote with my $'s every chance I get. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21302825 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21302825