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Not sure how many people are aware that the newer Alexa devices have "presence detection" that uses ultrasound so they can detect when people are nearby. [0] H

Not sure how many people are aware that the newer Alexa devices have "presence detection" that uses ultrasound so they can detect when people are nearby. [0] Heck, even Ecobee remote temperature sensors can do this. Reminds me of the story about how the Google Nest smoke detector had a microphone in it. [1] 0 - https://www.amazon.com/b?node=23435461011&tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=661712030114&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10360813209422837828&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003605&hvtargid=kwd-1546958575595&ref=pd_sl_593al4h2yl_e https://www.amazon.com/b?node=23435461011&tag=googhydr-20&hv... 1- https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/asmusq/google_says_the_builtin_microphone_it_never_told/ https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/asmusq/google_says...

joe_mamba 9mo ago
>newer Alexa devices have "presence detection" Not even the biggest privacy issue of using Alexa devices. I think listening you 24/7 is a bigger potential issue. Not sure if Alexa has this, but cheap mm-wave wideband multi-GHz sensors(or radars more accurately) now enable more finely grained human presence detection and also human fall detection[1] with the right algos, so you can for example detect if grandma in the nursing home fell down and didn't get back up, but in a privacy focused way that doesn't resort to microphones or cameras. Neat. >Reminds me of the story about how the Google Nest smoke detector had a microphone in it. Vapes have microphone arrays in them to detect when you're sucking and light up the heating element. Cheap electronics have enabled a new world of crazy. [1] https://www.seeedstudio.com/MR60FDA2-60GHz-mmWave-Sensor-Fall-Detection-Module-p-5946.html https://www.seeedstudio.com/MR60FDA2-60GHz-mmWave-Sensor-Fal...
- gjs278 9mo ago
  [dead]
amelius 9mo ago
Every capacitor can be a potential microphone ...
- srean 9mo ago
  Make that "every vibrating surface can be a potential microphone ..."
  - devmor 9mo ago
    The laser on a hotel window experiment comes to mind.
    - srean 9mo ago
      Or an adapted Theremin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(listening_device) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(listening_device)
    - spyder 9mo ago
      with a high speed camera any vibrating reflective object like a potato chips bag can become a weak microphone if you have line of sight even behind a soundproof window: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKXOucXB4a8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKXOucXB4a8
bradyd 9mo ago
The Nest smoke detector microphone was never really secret. It was part of the monthly self test to determine if the alarm was working. It would send you a notification telling you it was going to sound the alarm and that it would be listening for the sound to confirm it was working. It was listed in the features for the 2nd gen units. https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9229922#zippy=%2Cnd-gen-nest-protect https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9229922#zippy=%... Edit: That article isn't about the Nest Protect (smoke detector), it's about the Nest Secure, an alarm system.
renewiltord 9mo ago
That reminds me of the other story where the Pixel phones come with a microphone that turns on every time you make a call! The phone actually records audio and sends it remotely to someone else.
- SketchySeaBeast 9mo ago
  Wait a minute...
- sneak 9mo ago
  ...except when trying to dial 911. https://medium.com/@mmrahman123/how-a-bug-in-android-and-microsoft-teams-could-have-caused-this-users-911-call-to-fail-6525f9ba5e63 https://medium.com/@mmrahman123/how-a-bug-in-android-and-mic...
anigbrowl 9mo ago
How many people have Alexa devices vs wifi? I got gifted an Amazon Echo Dot some years ago. We set it up and switched it off later the same day because it felt creepy to have the thing listening to everything we said.

joe_mamba 9mo ago

>newer Alexa devices have "presence detection" Not even the biggest privacy issue of using Alexa devices. I think listening you 24/7 is a bigger potential issue. Not sure if Alexa has this, but cheap mm-wave wideband multi-GHz sensors(or radars more accurately) now enable more finely grained human presence detection and also human fall detection[1] with the right algos, so you can for example detect if grandma in the nursing home fell down and didn't get back up, but in a privacy focused way that doesn't resort to microphones or cameras. Neat. >Reminds me of the story about how the Google Nest smoke detector had a microphone in it. Vapes have microphone arrays in them to detect when you're sucking and light up the heating element. Cheap electronics have enabled a new world of crazy. [1] https://www.seeedstudio.com/MR60FDA2-60GHz-mmWave-Sensor-Fall-Detection-Module-p-5946.html https://www.seeedstudio.com/MR60FDA2-60GHz-mmWave-Sensor-Fal...

gjs278 9mo ago
[dead]

amelius 9mo ago

Every capacitor can be a potential microphone ...

srean 9mo ago
Make that "every vibrating surface can be a potential microphone ..."
- devmor 9mo ago
  The laser on a hotel window experiment comes to mind.
  - srean 9mo ago
    Or an adapted Theremin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(listening_device) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(listening_device)
  - spyder 9mo ago
    with a high speed camera any vibrating reflective object like a potato chips bag can become a weak microphone if you have line of sight even behind a soundproof window: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKXOucXB4a8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKXOucXB4a8

bradyd 9mo ago

The Nest smoke detector microphone was never really secret. It was part of the monthly self test to determine if the alarm was working. It would send you a notification telling you it was going to sound the alarm and that it would be listening for the sound to confirm it was working. It was listed in the features for the 2nd gen units. https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9229922#zippy=%2Cnd-gen-nest-protect https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9229922#zippy=%... Edit: That article isn't about the Nest Protect (smoke detector), it's about the Nest Secure, an alarm system.

renewiltord 9mo ago

That reminds me of the other story where the Pixel phones come with a microphone that turns on every time you make a call! The phone actually records audio and sends it remotely to someone else.

SketchySeaBeast 9mo ago
Wait a minute...
sneak 9mo ago
...except when trying to dial 911. https://medium.com/@mmrahman123/how-a-bug-in-android-and-microsoft-teams-could-have-caused-this-users-911-call-to-fail-6525f9ba5e63 https://medium.com/@mmrahman123/how-a-bug-in-android-and-mic...

anigbrowl 9mo ago

How many people have Alexa devices vs wifi? I got gifted an Amazon Echo Dot some years ago. We set it up and switched it off later the same day because it felt creepy to have the thing listening to everything we said.