Author Topic: Alexa is Listening  (Read 3436 times)

Country Singer

Alexa is Listening
« on: April 13, 2019, 02:03:00 PM »
This brings in mind the cartoon below: Amazon has people listening to what Alexa hears.


“Our country demands all our strength, all our energies. To resist the powerful combination now forming against us will require every man at his place.
If victorious, we will have everything to hope for in the future. If defeated, nothing will be left for us to live for.”

bountyhunter

Re: Alexa is Listening
« Reply #1 on: April 13, 2019, 07:39:24 PM »
And folks want to know why I don't have all of this tech stuff at my house....
Watch your six!
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tlwagg

Re: Alexa is Listening
« Reply #2 on: April 14, 2019, 01:15:39 PM »
We were lucky? enough to receive two of these from my in-laws for Christmas. Hubby set up Smart Things remote switches on them so we can turn them off and on when we want to use them.
"I prefer dangerous freedom to peaceful slavery." - Thomas Jefferson

"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." - Charlton Heston

Gunner

Re: Alexa is Listening
« Reply #3 on: May 24, 2019, 03:40:31 AM »
Nope... non of them here..... Id rather never be bothered with them.
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Searchboss

Re: Alexa is Listening
« Reply #4 on: May 24, 2019, 12:21:08 PM »
Other than our phones  :o we don't have any either. About a year ago we received a device as a gift. I set it up and we used it for a few weeks until the newness wore off. By then I started noticing that the darn thing was always listening, even after you forget it is there. I would say something and occasionally get an unexpected response from the device. I started talking to it and asking questions. The darn thing did not have a sense of humor, and got insulted easily (think Democrat). It could not or would not give me logical answers to simple questions either, unless it had something to do with recent news or talk shows that I do not listen to. I packed it back up in the box and gifted it to a friend who wanted one badly. With the coming of the Internet of Things, I am now having to check to see what unwanted electronics are included before I buy new appliances or other devices.

Country Singer

Re: Alexa is Listening
« Reply #5 on: May 24, 2019, 12:35:29 PM »
With the coming of the Internet of Things, I am now having to check to see what unwanted electronics are included before I buy new appliances or other devices.


Make sure you check out that hot tub before you buy.
“Our country demands all our strength, all our energies. To resist the powerful combination now forming against us will require every man at his place.
If victorious, we will have everything to hope for in the future. If defeated, nothing will be left for us to live for.”

John Galt 1

Re: Alexa is Listening
« Reply #6 on: May 26, 2019, 12:13:41 AM »
Last year my young adult son brought home a Alexa someone had given him.      Seems the previous owner didn't want it in his house because it was always listening and sending the sounds to the internet for interoperation.        I also refused to have it in my home.

Because of my driving job (no hands use of a phone required) I enable Alexa on my cellphone each morning but disable it before going home every evening.
Talk is cheap, Actions count.

joebob

Re: Alexa is Listening
« Reply #7 on: May 26, 2019, 06:56:50 PM »
One morning last week I had the TV on and the show Supernatural was on and the phrase " explosive decompression " was used and shortly after my phone gave a notification for the definition of explosive decompression. I have been leaving it in another room mostly ever since.




cope

Re: Alexa is Listening
« Reply #8 on: May 29, 2019, 10:57:47 AM »
yep dont forget the smart phones all have microphones in them as well as laptops too.
Some new smart tvs have cameras and mics in them as well.
Big Brother is listening :)

tlwagg

Re: Alexa is Listening
« Reply #9 on: May 30, 2019, 10:59:47 AM »
Never say or post anything you don't want everyone to know. It will get out!
"I prefer dangerous freedom to peaceful slavery." - Thomas Jefferson

"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." - Charlton Heston

revckd

Re: Alexa is Listening
« Reply #10 on: May 31, 2019, 09:01:40 AM »
Never say or post anything you don't want everyone to know. It will get out!
I have said something like this to ppl for years, "If you wouldn't put it on the front page of the newspaper, why would you put it on FaceBook... same thing" :-\
revckd
KM4PHQ

Bellatores et Venatores in Christo
A prudent person foresees danger ahead and takes precautions. ~ Proverbs 27:12

tlwagg

Re: Alexa is Listening
« Reply #11 on: May 31, 2019, 10:26:48 AM »
We would tell our scouts the same thing. That whatever they posted at 15 would follow them for the rest of their lives and could effect being hired in the future.
"I prefer dangerous freedom to peaceful slavery." - Thomas Jefferson

"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." - Charlton Heston

Lilburner

Re: Alexa is Listening
« Reply #12 on: June 08, 2019, 12:07:06 PM »
I'm starting a search for a non-internet voice-controlled home automation system. Anyone heard of such a thing?

It's indispensable for reducing energy usage as I move to being as off grid as possible, and currently I don't worry about privacy. I only have Alexa at my BOL where there's not much conversation. Her entire dossier on me is talking to my cat. I keep it on a switched circuit so I can turn it off when someone comes inside.

But it seems like it would be trivial for a device to control other devices on the same Wi-Fi without having to consult the internet. Not only for privacy, but the whole mess doesn't even work without internet, which makes it useless for SHTF.
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures.
~ Daniel Webster

RWS

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Re: Alexa is Listening
« Reply #13 on: June 08, 2019, 12:28:18 PM »
I'm starting a search for a non-internet voice-controlled home automation system. Anyone heard of such a thing?

It's indispensable for reducing energy usage as I move to being as off grid as possible, and currently I don't worry about privacy. I only have Alexa at my BOL where there's not much conversation. Her entire dossier on me is talking to my cat. I keep it on a switched circuit so I can turn it off when someone comes inside.

But it seems like it would be trivial for a device to control other devices on the same Wi-Fi without having to consult the internet. Not only for privacy, but the whole mess doesn't even work without internet, which makes it useless for SHTF.
Years and years ago.......before internet.......10x used to market a plug & power unit that used FM over the house wiring.  They had a timer unit that would turn on and off outlet plugged modules and light switches.  They also had a key pad unit that was used to turn on & off the devices.  I had that in my house in the 80s.  Along about that time I built a 2 Meter VHF Engineering repeater kit with a whole one watt out put.  Using split antennas I put it on my 100ft Rohn 25G tower.  Then I bought a surplus "Mitel"  tone decoder, 2 of 8 with buttons up strobe and good 2 tone output.  I wired this into the keypad 10x box.  The result was I could use a 2 tone and reset tone to turn on and off 10x modules in my house using a 2 meter mic key pad.  Before I rolled into the driveway at night, the car port light was on.
A few years later devices that did the same thing were marketed but I have not seen any for a long, long time now, but Google knows!

 

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