Get Tech Support Now - (818) 584-6021 - C2 Technology Partners, Inc.

Get Tech Support Now - (818) 584-6021 - C2 Technology Partners, Inc.

C2 provides technology services and consultation to businesses and individuals.

T (818) 584 6021
Email: [email protected]

C2 Technology Partners, Inc.
26500 Agoura Rd, Ste 102-576, Calabasas, CA 91302

Open in Google Maps
QUESTIONS? CALL: 818-584-6021
  • HOME
  • BLOG
  • SERVICES
    • Encryption
    • Backups
  • ABOUT
    • SMS Opt-In Form
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
FREECONSULT
Tuesday, 19 June 2018 / Published in Woo on Tech

Maybe they shouldn’t have called it “Echo”

ID-10067190.jpg

A lot of my friends and colleagues are always surprised that I don’t have more gadgets around my house, especially items like Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home, seeing as I am a long-time customer of both mega-companies and utilize many of their services on a daily basis. Those of you who have been paying attention know that I’m pretty keen on privacy, and have also seen me write on the topic time and time again, mostly because companies like the aforementioned sometimes have trouble respecting our right to privacy. It’s not that I have something to hide, it’s that I am very specific about what I want to share,  and that does not include sharing private family conversations with a work acquaintance, which seems to be what happened to a Seattle couple via their Amazon Echo device.

Entre nous becomes menage a trois

What many fail to truly understand is that in order for any voice-activated device to work, it must always be listening to everyone nearby, waiting for its moment to shine. In the case of the incident mentioned above, the Echo device thought it heard its vocal trigger, “Alexa” (or something phonetically similar) woke up, heard another trigger, “Send a message,” which caused to start recording what it thought was a legitimate message, which it then dutifully sent on to the unintended recipient. The couple had no idea their conversation was recorded and were only clued in when the unintentional eavesdropper called them to warn them about the incident.

How many times has your phone (iPhone or Android) self-activated because it thought it heard its vocal cue? Mine does this about 2-3 times a month, mainly because it hears (or thinks it hears) me saying “OK” and “Google” all the time, when in fact, I’m just having a conversation with someone nearby. It’s even self-activated because of audio from a podcast or song, which is really weird and creepy sometimes. Hackers have demonstrated the ability to completely compromise late model devices, and it’s a known intelligence exploit to compromise surveillance subject phones explicitly for the purposes of turning on the microphone as the ultimate audio bug. We carry these devices everywhere, and now they are in our most private spaces. It’s just you and me, and the internet now.

  • Tweet
Tagged under: alexa, amazon, Google, privacy

What you can read next

Under Attack!
The overlooked threat to your security
Biohazard
Virus found on Police body cameras
A shrinking bubble of protection
Today’s Antivirus Software is already outgunned

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • The invisible algorithm bubble

    Most of you have known about this aspect of Int...
  • Security is about to get even more complicated

    We’ve discussed in previous blogs how tec...
  • RIP Skype

    Two years ago, in 2023, Microsoft announced tha...
  • Make a list, check it twice!

    Get ready to show your work

    I’m sure it’s still a thing for stu...
  • Windows 10 Countdown

    As of now, Microsoft seems to be holding fast t...

Archives

  • GET SOCIAL
Get Tech Support Now - (818) 584-6021 - C2 Technology Partners, Inc.

© 2016 All rights reserved.

TOP