Anyone got an echo spot?

[Cobra]

It doesn't need to be in all cases

I had heard that TBH, I just leave it somewhere else when I hold my subversive meetings

 

[landwomble]

So have the recent events with courts in the US requiring Amazon/Google to hand over recordings of ambient conversations that may have been recorded during murders just stupid people asking the impossible?

Yes, exactly that. There are cases of people asking for recordings. There are no recordings to hand over though and you'll notice that the only data that has been confirmed are things like commands issued with timestamp. The devices simply do not sit there recording all the time. You can actually view/listen to all the commands your Amazon devices have responded to yourself.

 

[andrewc]

Have received an Echo Dot. We're having a new Boiler fitted, and opted to have Hive thermostat controls and that was bundled with an Echo Spot. Its novel to say to Alexa to turn the heating up 2 degrees or turn on the landing light. It seems to recognise what I'm trying to tell it more successfully than my wife.

 

[Cobra]

It seems to recognise what I'm trying to tell it more successfully than my wife.

Just teach it to cook and your laughing

 

[G-Slev]

it's not rocket science. The device is listening locally for a specific word "Alexa". Only after that does it record or process any phrases, whilst the halo light is flashing. It is NOT sending any data anywhere without that wake word.

If you believe that, you're incredibly naive. Have a read of the social media pages of Private Eye.

 

[landwomble]

If you believe that, you're incredibly naive. Have a read of the social media pages of Private Eye.

Ok, show me contrary evidence?

 

[G-Slev]

Ok, show me contrary evidence?

I refer the honourable gentleman to the answer I gave some moments ago.

 

[landwomble]

I refer the honourable gentleman to the answer I gave some moments ago.

I'm aware of that one claim, which Amazon responded to at the time with the following:

"Echo woke up due to a word in background conversation sounding like ‘Alexa’. Then, the subsequent conversation was heard as a ‘send message’ request. At which point, Alexa said out loud ‘To whom?’ At which point, the background conversation was interpreted as a name in the customer’s contact list. Alexa then asked out loud, ‘[contact name], right?’ Alexa then interpreted background conversation as ‘right’.”"

If you think it's recording you all the time, you are simply not correct unless you or any security researcher can show me wireshark captures or other evidence to the contrary.

It's a good paranoid story for generating click bait articles though.

 

[jerry12953]

I know I'm an old fart, but I see these things advertised on TV and I just think "whatever is that for and why ever should I need one?".

And if they're being bundled for free with other tech items there has got be a reason, hasn't there? None of these companies give anything away out of the goodness of their heart.

 

[ancient_mariner]

I know I'm an old fart, but I see these things advertised on TV and I just think "whatever is that for and why ever should I need one?".

And if they're being bundled for free with other tech items there has got be a reason, hasn't there? None of these companies give anything away out of the goodness of their heart.

They are 'gateway' devices to enable the owner to consume more services, somewhat like tablets/phablets only more transparently so. As to why you need one - no-one ever *NEEDS* one, but they may be helpful if you want to do things like look up songs, want to be reminded audibly of appointments or dictate shopping lists (possibly even purchase goods) control other similarly connected devices using voice commands etc.

 

[G-Slev]

I'm aware of that one claim, which Amazon responded to at the time with the following:

"Echo woke up due to a word in background conversation sounding like ‘Alexa’. Then, the subsequent conversation was heard as a ‘send message’ request. At which point, Alexa said out loud ‘To whom?’ At which point, the background conversation was interpreted as a name in the customer’s contact list. Alexa then asked out loud, ‘[contact name], right?’ Alexa then interpreted background conversation as ‘right’.”"

If you think it's recording you all the time, you are simply not correct unless you or any security researcher can show me wireshark captures or other evidence to the contrary.

It's a good paranoid story for generating click bait articles though.

You know what, you're right. My God, I have been so misguided. I should go and boil my head.