I’m starting to rethink all the times I stripped off sweaty workout clothes in the laundry room and sprinted naked to my shower. It’s not like I’ve been binge watching Black Mirror, I just know more and more people who put Post-It Notes over their laptop cameras.
Now it just so happens the Google Home Mini was given to my daughter by the same family member who was recently housing Russian “exchange students”.
THE PROBLEM
I am not tech savvy so I decided to educate myself. Apparently the model of voice assistant that currently sits mere feet away, has raised more red flags than other devices. Awesome. My main concern is that these devices are always listening. They need to be ready to hear “wake words”, or activation commands like “Alexa”, “Ok Google”, and “Hey Siri” that tell them to record, send data and respond. Unfortunately, the Google Home Mini which is both voice and touch activated, has not only been known to miss hear voice commands and start recording, but they also have been known to respond to “phantom touches”. This basically means a random environmental change can start it recording.
The daily chatter in my home often revolves around talking to the dog and hanging up on telemarketers, but it’s still creepy having my electronics listening to me. Once Siri responded when Meredith on Grey’s Anatomy said “Seriously?”. “Hey Siri” is now disabled on my iPad. Don’t we all sometimes give a credit card number on the phone or discuss passwords? I also frequently spontaneously burst into song.
These are not things I want recorded and sent to a server.
SOLUTIONS
So what’s a tech-phobe to do? Google claims to have worked through many of these bugs. Even so, the device has been sequestered in my daughter’s room. I have also asked her to unplug it when she is not around. Teens are super reliable, right?
Many electronic assistants give you the ability to log into your account and see/hear exactly what it has recorded and sent to the cloud for response. In many cases you can delete this information. However, your home assistant will “know” less about you and may have less appropriate responses to future inquiries. Law enforcement can also request access to this data, FYI.
I remember when the biggest security concern was whether or not Furby could learn your secrets, and were banned from the Pentagon and other government buildings.
I miss the good old days.
What technology has you concerned?
