Google Accidentally Enables
Home Smart Speakers to Listen
In to Everyday House Sounds
Independent (UK),
by
Adam Smith
Original Article
Posted By: Ribicon,
8/4/2020 6:12:56 PM
Google accidentally enabled a feature for Google Home users which let the smart speaker listen to the sounds of objects in your house.
A user on Reddit spotted a notification on his phone from his smart speaker which alerted him to the fact his smoke alarm was going off while he was cooking.(Snip) Although the feature provides greater security it is a trade off for less privacy. Google has adamantly pushed that the only way its smart speaker will listen to users is via its wake word.
The use of ambient monitoring for other reasons could lead to questions about what else Google will
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Jesuslover54 8/4/2020 6:24:55 PM (No. 500031)
A pox on all their H1-B houses.
12 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Vesicant 8/4/2020 6:28:52 PM (No. 500032)
Can I get the addresses of all the fools who buy these things and believe the promises? I have a bridge and some koolaid I'd like to sell them. Maybe some pet unicorns, too.
9 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
GoodDeal 8/4/2020 6:31:08 PM (No. 500033)
I don't have a smart speaker for this very reason. Not gonna do it!
16 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
mc squared 8/4/2020 6:58:01 PM (No. 500047)
Simple logic. If it's always listening for you to say the 'wake up' words it HAS to listen all the time.
19 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
earlybird 8/4/2020 6:58:19 PM (No. 500048)
Never ever here. No Alexa. Nada.
10 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
bamapreacher 8/4/2020 7:03:57 PM (No. 500050)
Gives a whole new meaning to "accidentally on purpose."
10 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
JustCause 8/4/2020 7:04:49 PM (No. 500051)
FTA: Google has adamantly pushed that the only way its smart speaker will listen to users is via its wake word.
As I understand it; the so called, smart speaker, has to listen to EVERY word until the Wake Word is spoken, generating a response.
Since it has to listen to EVERY word, and you digitally OK'd the Terms of Service, they can (and do) record everything using the excuse that it is to better train or enhance the algorithm to understand what's being said (language, accent, wokeness, laughing, crying, yelling passionately, cheating on your spouse, etc.) so when you use the Wake Word it will understand the question or command.
Do you really want some nerd at google listening to every sound in your home?
9 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Banjo Willy 8/4/2020 7:10:24 PM (No. 500058)
OGL. I Hate When That Happens But I Do Understand.
I Accidentally Reformat My Window PC All The Frickin Time.
4 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Submariner 8/4/2020 7:11:05 PM (No. 500059)
What, no scare quotes around 'accidentally'? Last year an Alexa was part of a prize we won at a charity raffle and promptly gave it away.
6 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
Dodge Boy 8/4/2020 7:18:57 PM (No. 500070)
"Accidentally". Uh huh.
11 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
bad-hair 8/4/2020 7:34:17 PM (No. 500081)
My favorite "app" is the power OFF app.
6 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
daisey 8/4/2020 7:34:29 PM (No. 500082)
An accident, my Aunt Fanny.
6 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
NorthernDog 8/4/2020 7:43:26 PM (No. 500088)
A good time to play Mark Levin on audio CD up close to the speakers. Maybe a few will see the light.
11 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
voxpopuli 8/4/2020 8:04:07 PM (No. 500099)
seems like a simple solution..
class action lawsuit for... $787.6 billion..
(Google market cap of $787.6 billion)
6 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
hershey 8/4/2020 8:20:40 PM (No. 500111)
Accidentally my patootie...The only alexa thing in my house is my Fire TV stick and I de-activated alexa on it...I don't have, nor do I need, interactive refrigerator or thermostat control, or asking questions of a stupid electronic box and my PC screen does NOT have a camera in it, nor does my TV...
6 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
WV.Hillbilly 8/4/2020 8:30:14 PM (No. 500127)
"Accidentally"
1 person likes this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
Hermit_Crab 8/4/2020 8:47:53 PM (No. 500139)
Accidentally, yeah right.
And John Wilkes Booth accidentally shot Abraham Lincoln... He was actually offering Lincoln the gun as a gift, when it went off.
4 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
DrOstrow 8/4/2020 9:24:10 PM (No. 500156)
Accident my sweet ...........
They will keep doing this until
1) no one cares anymore - don't think so ? Give it time. Millennials bore easily and are basically apathetic besides if you have nothing to hide
why do you care
or
2) financially ( the ONLY thing they care about ) no longer valuable enough and/or MASSIVE law suite ( my personal favorite as in the possibility
of their going out of business !
As long as there are no repercussions they WILL continue to do these things - simple as that - after all 'why not ?'.
2 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
anniebc 8/4/2020 9:39:09 PM (No. 500167)
Accidentally shut down Google, please.
5 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
ussjimmycarter 8/4/2020 10:27:49 PM (No. 500197)
If you have Alexa or any other similar product, disconnect the batteries and throw it in the trash! Turn your light switches on manually! Good grief!
4 people like this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
Jennie C. 8/4/2020 10:33:56 PM (No. 500201)
"accidentally"??? My foot.
3 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
Rumblehog 8/4/2020 11:06:47 PM (No. 500219)
Maybe instead of the "wake" word it was listening for the "woke" word that so many today are claiming about themselves?
s/o
2 people like this.
I live between two neighbors with morbid curiosity, why would I need anything else for less privacy ?
3 people like this.
Reply 24 - Posted by:
Omen55 8/4/2020 11:35:28 PM (No. 500245)
"Wait. You're telling me that people are knowingly buying devices to spy on them?
Orwell would not believe this.
2 people like this.
Reply 25 - Posted by:
cor-vet 8/4/2020 11:44:31 PM (No. 500255)
Was negotiating with a company rep a couple of days ago and was offered their deal of the day, an Alexia. My response was, not no but hell no. Microsoft has something called 'Siri' in my computer, it's been disabled and the camera covered w/ black electrical tape.
1 person likes this.
Reply 26 - Posted by:
padiva 8/4/2020 11:48:13 PM (No. 500261)
I cover the cameras on my laptop and tablet.
4 people like this.
Reply 27 - Posted by:
Trigger2 8/5/2020 12:50:39 AM (No. 500298)
Communist listening devices for which morons shell out money for instead of the communist party coughing it up. Putin and that Chinese emperor are so jealous.
0 people like this.
Reply 28 - Posted by:
paral04 8/5/2020 9:06:12 AM (No. 500507)
That is no accident. Alexa is doing it. Have you heard about the couple in England who own a parrot and have that listening device. Well, apparently, the parrot talks to itself when they couple are at work and suddenly all kinds of boxes were ending up on their doorstep. Alexa was dutifully entering orders into Amazon's system. Beware!
2 people like this.
Reply 29 - Posted by:
kono 8/5/2020 11:17:22 AM (No. 500706)
I adopted a firm policy long ago to avoid any voice control features wherever I can't just disable them, entirely.
0 people like this.
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Whoops, we got caught (again). An honest mistake, guys; continue to speak freely (and clearly, please) in your own homes.