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I follow, but what exactly is the real privacy threat here? If we look at an echo for instance: * The device is hardwired to light up whenever it is listening
by Thriptic 7y ago
I follow, but what exactly is the real privacy threat here? If we look at an echo for instance:
* The device is hardwired to light up whenever it is listening so you can't be eavesdropped on without some indicator.
* The device only transmits when it is in listening mode. This has been validated independently by multiple people.
* The device has a mute function (granted, software).
* The device can be registered under a bogus account.
* You can turn off all phone call capabilities / external listening capabilities.
* You can pihole it so it won't reach back to Amazon's ad services.
* You can delete any conversation you don't want stored manually, including one click deleting your entire history.
* You can have all content automatically deleted after X days.
So what exactly are people concerned about? Out of all the convos someone could have, a negative one just happens to probabilistically be recorded, you don't notice, and within 90 days someone in law enforcement or entity X figures it out and uses it against you? Someone at Amazon decides to look through your stored conversations and sees you turn on the lights at 5 PM each day?
I'm not saying there are 0 privacy implications with this device, as any device that has a mic and can record remotely has privacy implications. I just feel like the level of angst generated by smart speakers isn't warranted in the grander scheme of things.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- ThePhysicist 7y agoWell it’s totally fine to have that opinion and use those devices, personally I wouldn’t though. Privacy is a niche topic right now and it might stay that way, but I think more and more people will become concerned about what large companies know about them. Each individual service and datapoint is not very critical as you say, combining data from multiple sources and using the data in unexpected ways can quickly reveal very intimate things about a person though. Companies like Amazon, Google and FB do not mainly use your data to “improve your experience”, they use it to nudge you into behavioral patterns that benefit their business model (i.e. look at more ads or buy more stuff). I doesn’t take so much imagination to see how this might harm you e.g. because you develop unhealthy spending habits or waste large amounts of time on social media. And the more data a company has about you, the easier it is for them to manipulate you. So for me it’s not about defending against an unknown attacker, it’s defending against companies using my data to manipulate me, which they might do even if they keep my data very, very secure.