Beware Amazon's Alexa

Marc said:
I really have no time for all this paranoia.
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Its not paranoia, the links prove it, but if you CBA to read them, then thats OK too.
I just don't want strangers in my house hanging on conversations.

I posted a snip in post 32 as a heads up.
But if that doesn't interest you either, that's OK too.
No one is suggesting you to bin your spy device. If you are comfortable with one in your home, then fair play (y)


After two workers thought they had picked up a sexual assault, they were told it wasn’t Amazon’s job to interfere.

So how are they listening to this private and sometimes shocking information? For a start, the reviewers are required to record the data whether the device has been activated on purpose or not. Meanwhile, if the reviewers hear any private details such as people’s names or bank details, they are told to simply mark it as “critical data” and move on to the next audio file.
 
Cobra said:
Its not paranoia, the links prove it, but if you CBA to read them, then thats OK too.
I just don't want strangers in my house hanging on conversations.

I posted a snip in post 32 as a heads up.
But if that doesn't interest you either, that's OK too.
No one is suggesting you to bin your spy device. If you are comfortable with one in your home, then fair play (y)


After two workers thought they had picked up a sexual assault, they were told it wasn’t Amazon’s job to interfere.

So how are they listening to this private and sometimes shocking information? For a start, the reviewers are required to record the data whether the device has been activated on purpose or not. Meanwhile, if the reviewers hear any private details such as people’s names or bank details, they are told to simply mark it as “critical data” and move on to the next audio file.
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Links are hearsay, not proof.
 
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Links to published documents aren’t hearsay IMNVHO.
 
so having read the links there is no spying going on and as suspected there are a lot of paranoid conspiracy theories banded about.

For those of you to paranoid to embrace technology, when you ask Alexa something it keeps a record. The article clearly says that it is the record that they are using to make speech recognition better. There is nothing to indicate that Alexa is randomly recording conversations and sending this off or that Amazon is listening to this and acting on it.
I have 2 Echo dots, and 3 siri enabled devices. My parents have 2 echos and between them and my sister more Apple products than the Apple store. Not once have we seen an online advert that links to anything we have asked Alexa for or spoken about in the house.
 
Marc said:
Everything on the Internet is published.
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That’s an interesting thing. Google, Facebook etc etc claim, and are recognised by law currently, not to be publishers. If I understand it, they claim to be the equivalent of a phone company or similar. Perhaps I should have said “authored”, in the sense of not being anonymous or fake name?
 
AgentOrange76 said:
so having read the links there is no spying going on and as suspected there are a lot of paranoid conspiracy theories banded about.

For those of you to paranoid to embrace technology, when you ask Alexa something it keeps a record. The article clearly says that it is the record that they are using to make speech recognition better. There is nothing to indicate that Alexa is randomly recording conversations and sending this off or that Amazon is listening to this and acting on it.
I have 2 Echo dots, and 3 siri enabled devices. My parents have 2 echos and between them and my sister more Apple products than the Apple store. Not once have we seen an online advert that links to anything we have asked Alexa for or spoken about in the house.
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Personally, I don’t think they are spying, yet .... it’s more to do with where we are going, 1984 and all that, some of it has arrived :mad:. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance and all that ;).
 
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Anybody watching Tim Berners Lee giving the Dimbleby Lecture now on?
 
sphexx said:
Personally, I don’t think they are spying, yet .... it’s more to do with where we are going, 1984 and all that, some of it has arrived :mad:. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance and all that ;).
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I am not a number... I'm a free badger! ;)
 
Marc said:
Maybe you could show me where Amazon admit to spying on people?
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For the 3rd and last time, what would you call listening in to private conversations.
To gain various pieces of information, what ever Amazon claim to be the reason.
Post 41 & 32
Quite frankly I'm getting rather bored with all this now.
If you refuse to accept evidence from Amazon that these devices are listening in randomly then fine.
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-...exa-echo-listening-spy-security-a8865056.html
BUT as you quite clearly state you don't follow /open links here are a few bullet points.

Amazon has admitted that employees listen to customer voice recordings from Echo and other Alexa-enabled smart speakers.
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The online retail giant said its staff “reviewed” a sample of Alexa voice assistant conversations in order to improve speech recognition
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Amazon’s Alexa privacy settings sadly don’t let you opt out of the voice recording, but you can stop your recordings being used for product development, plus you can delete any previous voice recordings in the settings.”
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Some employees admitted to sharing amusing recordings with other employees via an internal chat room. Others said they had heard potentially disturbing conversations between people in their homes.
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Cobra said:
For the 3rd and last time, what would you call listening in to private conversations.
To gain various pieces of information, what ever Amazon claim to be the reason.
Post 41 & 32
Quite frankly I'm getting rather bored with all this now.
If you refuse to accept evidence from Amazon that these devices are listening in randomly then fine.
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-...exa-echo-listening-spy-security-a8865056.html
BUT as you quite clearly state you don't follow /open links here are a few bullet points.
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"Spying" is an emotive term which implies nefarious motives, nowhere has there been proof or admission of this. There is a lot of scaremongering going on though.

And it's not that I don't click on links but I'm away at the moment and only have my phone and find it difficult to read large amounts of text on a small screen.
 
Marc said:
Spying" is an emotive term which implies nefarious motives, nowhere has there been proof or admission of this.
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So what would call random people listening in to other peoples conversations
for the futherment of their business? That sounds like the definition of spying to me.

And yes they have admitted this takes place for what ever reason. There is no denying that whatsoever
One thing we can be sure of, its not for / to our advantage!
What ever the reason, for the cyber intrusions, I still don't want the possibility people listening in to my conversations.
 
Cobra said:
So what would call random people listening in to other peoples conversations
for the futherment of their business? That sounds like the definition of spying to me.

And yes they have admitted this takes place for what ever reason. There is no denying that whatsoever
One thing we can be sure of, its not for / to our advantage!
What ever the reason, for the cyber intrusions, I still don't want the possibility people listening in to my conversations.
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Then don't buy an Amazon Echo, it's not compulsory.
 
Marc said:
Then don't buy an Amazon Echo, it's not compulsory.
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I don't have one and wouldn't have anything like that in my house.
Still waiting for an answer


Cobra said:
So what would call random people listening in to other peoples conversations
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Cobra said:
I don't have one and wouldn't have anything like that in my house.
Still waiting for an answer
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I don't feel the urge to give things labels, specially emotive ones. It is what it is and you're free to interpret it as you see fit as am I.
 
Marc said:
I don't feel the urge to give things labels, specially emotive ones. It is what it is and you're free to interpret it as you see fit as am I.
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Nicely avoided (y)
 
Marc said:
I've not avoided anything. I answered your question. Apologies if it wasn't the answer you wanted.
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As you keep pushing me for answers, and its not spying in your words, I just curious how you saw the intrusion.
That's all (y)
 
Alexa is alexa, but don't be under any impression that your android phone is any less of a culprit. If anything it is more. They are all nasty parasites competing for your data and selling advertising and other services and otherwise controlling your lives in one way or another.
 
LongLensPhotography said:
but don't be under any impression that your android phone is any less of a culprit.
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That's why I don't connect mine to the internet except on very very rare occasions.
 
Can't speak for Chris but I hate typing on a simple numerical keypad so use my phone's QWERTY touch-screen.
 
I rarely have my smartphone online, certainly not at home and only when I need to check something when I'm out
I'm not obsessed with knowing what's going on around the internet, still get texts and phone calls and
if my kids send me pictures, they do it via whatsapp and text me to say so, I can happily live without it when I'm out and about
 
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Ricardodaforce said:
What is the point of having a smart phone that you don’t connect to the internet?
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Because some of the other functions are better than a nokia 3310 (y)
Whats the point in spending circa 1K for a "Smart phone" when an 80 quid one ( that's what mine cost) will do if you want to connect to the internet?
 
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Ricardodaforce said:
What is the point of having a smart phone that you don’t connect to the internet?
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I too rarely connect my phone to the internet. If I'm at home I use the PC which is probably on and easier to use than the phone. If I'm outside I find I hardly ever need to be connected to the internet, but everyone to their own.

Dave
 
Cobra said:
Because some of the other functions are better than a nokia 3310 (y)
Whats the point in spending circa 1K for a "Smart phone" when an 80 quid one ( that's what mine cost) will do if you want to connect to the internet?
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VERY tempted to go back to my 3310 (which my MiL has just stopped using, having gone for a bigger buttoned "dumb" phone.) Just a PITA switching SIM card sizes between the QWERTY option and the nice phone!
 
I've only just seen this thread, and agree that it may not be wise to have a listening device (Alexa, Siri, whatever) in your home. If you are happy with what you get v what they take then fine, carry on, but at least be aware of what they are getting from and anout you, and how they use it. :)

If you want to have a bit of paranoia about your phone, watch this. ;)


I do find it a bit ironic though a member of the Talkphotography Staff has worries about privacy when for some reason the TP Android App started asking for access to the devices Contacts after one update. :oops: :$ I asked in the support forum why access to Contacts was needed but never got a satisfactory answer. :thinking: :rolleyes: Even though I had the app on a tablet with no contacts, I decided not to update. There is no need for an app for letting post and read on this site needs to have access to my contacts.
 
Marc said:
"Spying" is an emotive term which implies nefarious motives....
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Only to the paranoid, really, as it also means to discern or make out, especially by careful observation.
 
redhed17 said:
I do find it a bit ironic though a member of the Talkphotography Staff has worries about privacy when for some reason the TP Android App started asking for access to the devices Contacts after one update. :oops: :$ I asked in the support forum why access to Contacts was needed but never got a satisfactory answer. :thinking: :rolleyes:
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I guess you mean me?
I have never used the app, I don't understand hows these things work, and therefore I have no use for (any) apps whatsoever.

Its @Marcel that understand these things, he's the Techy bod
Its him you need to speak to. (y)
 
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