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Why exactly? This is a technology site, the way these voice assistant works has been posted numerous times and is common knowledge at this point. They've been

Why exactly? This is a technology site, the way these voice assistant works has been posted numerous times and is common knowledge at this point. They've been ripped apart by multiple security pros. Yet every thread we get unjustified replies like this. It is tiresome and frustrating. But I'll post it once again: - Wake phase detection is all handled locally (i.e. on device). - It loops a continuous recording over itself. If no phase is detected within a few seconds the recording is permanently lost. - We can see from data monitoring it isn't continuously transmitting (and that's also what the companies behind it claim). - "It could be modified" is a red herring. You are already carrying ON YOUR PERSON an always connected microphone with not one by two layers of operating system on it (baseband + consumer OS). It should not be popular to post "photographs can steal your soul"-levels of tech-spiracy on a site like this, but yet here we are again.

xfhgjxcfgh 5y ago
>..."photographs can steal your soul"-levels of tech-spiracy... It's a microphone connected to the internet. If corporations and governments choose to use this variety of device nefariously, they won't be stopped. Many people are feel concerned when their society increasingly resembles East Germany.
- davidcbc 5y ago
  > It's a microphone connected to the internet. So is a cellphone and they are way more ubiquitous
  - lvass 5y ago
    That is equally reprehensible.
perl4ever 5y ago
I don't have any particular reason to think the above is incorrect, let alone deliberately false or misleading. You sound more knowledgeable about the device than me. But I think you're tremendously overstating your certainty to contrast with people you're calling paranoid. If lives depended on it, are you that sure you fully understand how things work? Are you that sure of the contrast you point out between Alexa and a smartphone? I'm not questioning your opinions and facts; I'm urging you to examine your own feelings and motivations, which obviously only you can. When people attack doubts in others as paranoia, well, it might be accurate. But strong emotions and especially anger on the subject tend to suggest the underlying issue is suppressing one's own doubts. The general attitude of "we know how it works" always makes me think of the quote "Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow" and OpenSSL. My rule of thumb is, if something is technically feasible, if it's not possible to casually detect it, and there are likely no immediate, directly applied penalties for it, then it's unwise to bet against it. Something I see people assert to comfort themselves is that companies care about reputation and therefore wouldn't do some thing. I think you have to have blinkers on and somehow repress all your experience working for corporations or consuming products made by them to think that way.
lvass 5y ago
My phone has a microphone kill switch. And yes, this device's software could be modified.
swiley 5y ago
These companies have a history of absolutely abusing things like this. Comparing reasonable concern that’s informed by history to superstition is very upsetting to me.

xfhgjxcfgh 5y ago

>..."photographs can steal your soul"-levels of tech-spiracy... It's a microphone connected to the internet. If corporations and governments choose to use this variety of device nefariously, they won't be stopped. Many people are feel concerned when their society increasingly resembles East Germany.

davidcbc 5y ago
> It's a microphone connected to the internet. So is a cellphone and they are way more ubiquitous
- lvass 5y ago
  That is equally reprehensible.

perl4ever 5y ago

I don't have any particular reason to think the above is incorrect, let alone deliberately false or misleading. You sound more knowledgeable about the device than me. But I think you're tremendously overstating your certainty to contrast with people you're calling paranoid. If lives depended on it, are you that sure you fully understand how things work? Are you that sure of the contrast you point out between Alexa and a smartphone? I'm not questioning your opinions and facts; I'm urging you to examine your own feelings and motivations, which obviously only you can. When people attack doubts in others as paranoia, well, it might be accurate. But strong emotions and especially anger on the subject tend to suggest the underlying issue is suppressing one's own doubts. The general attitude of "we know how it works" always makes me think of the quote "Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow" and OpenSSL. My rule of thumb is, if something is technically feasible, if it's not possible to casually detect it, and there are likely no immediate, directly applied penalties for it, then it's unwise to bet against it. Something I see people assert to comfort themselves is that companies care about reputation and therefore wouldn't do some thing. I think you have to have blinkers on and somehow repress all your experience working for corporations or consuming products made by them to think that way.

lvass 5y ago

My phone has a microphone kill switch. And yes, this device's software could be modified.

swiley 5y ago

These companies have a history of absolutely abusing things like this. Comparing reasonable concern that’s informed by history to superstition is very upsetting to me.