That Facebook may be listening in to your coitus un-interruptus did not seem to raise the privacy concerns of many, but the Internet of Things (IoT) could be giving more concern that what was unwrapped under tinsel tree could soon be DDoS hacking for those that have something to hide:
Amazon refuses to let police access US murder suspect’s Echo recordings (theguardian.com).
“Arkansas police issued a warrant to Amazon to turn over recordings and other information associated with the device owned by James Andrew Bates. Bates has been charged with the murder of a man found dead in his hot tub in November 2015.”
But like that Apple phone the FBI asked Apple to give the the password core could we be sure it would always be for such a good reason?
“Although the Echo is known for having ‘always-on’ microphones to enable its voice-controlled features, the vast majority of the recordings it makes are not saved for longer than the few seconds it takes to determine if a pre-set ‘wake word’ (usually ‘Alexa’) has been said. Only if that wake word has been heard does the device’s full complement of microphones come on and begin transmitting audio to Amazon.”
Which, with poor dead chap in hot tub withstanding, has rigged some jollity for some, but perhaps also bringing to mind how that might accidentally be set recording.
Updates/Follow Ups
9th January 2017
Child asks Amazon’s Alexa for “Twinkle twinkle”—it responds with mind-boggling filth (metro.co.uk).
Well, of the sort many adults search for and mentioning “items” that are indeed on adult sale at the same Amazon, although hidden in “Health & Personal Care” (Latest Picks 16th Feb. 2014).
“Here we’ve got a kid saying, ‘Twinkle twinkle,’ to an Echo dot, in an effort to get it to play something. ”
Of course, Alexa didn’t hear it as “twinkle, twinkle” and let off a list of what might be available.
7th March 2017
And just to remind that Amazon are a business, possibly without the pretence of anything more ala Apple’s wrangle with the FBI:
Amazon hands over Echo data in murder case (cnet.com).
“Amazon’s mounting First Amendment battle has reached an anticlimactic end. The company agreed to hand over user data of an Amazon Echo speaker for a murder trial in Arkansas, after it spent months pushing back against a warrant for the information. Amazon changed its position after the user, defendant James Andrew Bates, consented to the disclosure, according to a court filing that was made public Monday.”
And, needless to say, tapes still likely only catch him trying to get Alexa’s attention to play his Toto playlist.
Recent/related stories
- The Internet of Things, cyber attacks, the tentacle trope and Linux security (Latest Picks 3rd December 2016)
- Facebook can hear you, uses people’s phones to listen to what they say (Latest Picks 1st June 2016)
- Apple praised by Google, damned by Lee Rigby family for FBI refusal (Latest Picks 18th February 2016)
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