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Serious question. Why is Alexa on an Echo different than Siri on a phone? Seems like there is clear outrage about “surveillance economy listening devices” (from
by drewcon 7y ago
Serious question. Why is Alexa on an Echo different than Siri on a phone? Seems like there is clear outrage about “surveillance economy listening devices” (from some members of this community) when they’re in your kitchen but not your pocket? Why is that different?
- aaronbrethorst 7y agoAmazon vs. Apple
- im3w1l 7y agoYou can disable the assistant on the phone.
- mirimir 7y agoIt's not that different. Especially for third parties, who don't control the device. When in others' homes, I typically ask whether there are listening devices. And if so, I request that they be disconnected. And if the host declines, I may leave -- or at least say nothing consequential. My wife's phone is on 24/7 and almost always within easy reach. So I never say anything consequential, unless it's been moved to the utility closet. Lots of fan noise there. Edit: From https://blog.cyberwar.nl/2016/02/some-elements-of-intelligence-work-73-rules-of-spycraft-allen-dulles-1960s/ https://blog.cyberwar.nl/2016/02/some-elements-of-intelligen... > 17. The greatest material curse to the profession, despite all its advantages, is undoubtedly the telephone. It is a constant source of temptation to slackness. And even if you do not use it carelessly yourself, the other fellow, very often will, so in any case, warn him. Always act on the principle that every conversation is listened to, that a call may always give the enemy a line. Naturally, always unplug during confidential conversations. Even better is it to have no phone in your room, or else have it in a box or cupboard.
- tommit 7y agoSee, although I can't really identify with your attitude, I can respect it because you seems to _really_ care about it and are thorough about it. What I really cannot stand are the people that will complain about an Alexa being in the room, while at the same time posting three Instagram stories a day, having their phone assistant listening constantly, maybe played around with tik tok ... at that point, you really don't care about privacy, you're just cherry picking. I think a large part of it stems from the fact that a "always listening smart speaker" is something where even the most technologically inept can add two and two together and figure out how it could be "used against you" so to speak. That their phone could technically be doing the same thing, and that throwing massive amounts of personal data at Facebook willingly could lead to similar privacy concerns, doesn't even cross their minds.
- mirimir 7y agoHey :) Many experiences drive my attitude. Back in the 60s-70s, I was a casual LSD dealer. So I learned the importance of discretion. And in my last career, I analyzed various sorts of data discovery for plaintiffs' firms and attorneys general. Everything from email and spreadsheets to enterprise "mainframe" datasets. So I learned the methodology of discovery. Piecing together bits of evidence, following leads, identifying people to depose, and so on. But yeah, I'm thorough about it. It's also a hobby. And something of a demonstration, and the occasional consulting gig.
- dehrmann 7y agoSiri gets to go on field trips.
- elliekelly 7y agoIf I disconnect Siri from the internet she’s still “smart”. Alexa isn’t.
- Lio 7y agoIt’s not. Some of us disable Siri on our phones too.