It's true, people. Amazon workers really are listening to our "private" conversations. And while we've all suspected it was happening--now we've got it from the horse's mouth.
The company has admitted that not only are they listening in on us, but they're recording and transcribing what they hear.
Bloomberg reports that Amazon has staff around the globe who's only job is transcribing recordings pulled from Echo customers' private conversations. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-10/is-anyone-listening-to-you-on-alexa-a-global-team-reviews-audio
In an emailed statement to Mail Online, an Amazon spokesperson said:
"We only annotate an extremely small sample of Alexa voice recordings in order to improve the customer experience. For example, this information helps us train our speech recognition and natural language understanding system, so Alexa can better understand your requests, and ensure the service works well for everyone."
Seriously? Did they just say they're recording some of our most private conversations for our own good?
The Daily Mail reported Amazon staff have admitted listening in on people singing in the shower, discussing bank account details, and conducting other intimate exchanges. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6910791/Alexa-listening-conversations.html
But we shouldn't worry because "all information is treated with high confidentiality."
Oh really? But what happens when staffers overhear distressing situations like a child screaming for help, or the two instances when they heard what seemed to be a sexual assault occurring?
Experts say it's only a matter of time before law enforcement is granted access to listen in on us, too.
And if you thought you were off the hook because you don't own an Alexa--think again. It's likely Apple and Google use similar protocol with human reviewers eavesdropping on content from Siri and Assistant.
And while you're at it--proceed with caution regarding any device sporting a microphone or a camera (such as Echo Spot or even your smart phone). Big Brother now has big ears, big eyes and a long reach.
A wise man once said: "It's likely that laws will be passed that will allow police to remotely activate these devices and eavesdrop on suspects, pretty much as described in the book 1984". -- Robert Graham, security consultant
"For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known" -- (Luke 12:2).
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News:
-London (AFP): Social media giant Facebook bans UK far-right groups; uploaded email contacts of 1.5 million users without consent
-Nextgov: Microsoft unveils two secret data centers built for classified government data
-Mirror: "Demon with fangs" arrested after women found dead with "bite marks" on neck; suspect described as having "fangs in his mouth, tattooed demon-eyes, a slit tongue and pointed ears"
