Amazon Echo

Discussion in 'Just Talk' started by RolandK, Nov 20, 2018.

  1. RolandK

    RolandK Screwfix Select

    Just been into local SF and they have some good deals on Amazon Echo stuff should you feel like taking a step into the wonderful world of Alexa!
     
  2. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    Thanks,but NO.

    Don't trust it.



    Hopefully Alexa issues have been resolved....o_O
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2018
    sparky steve and Astramax like this.
  3. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    It is listening to ALL you and your family say, I put them in the same 'desirability' class as smart meters.
     
  4. retiredsparks

    retiredsparks Super Member

    Think I will get one...it will be nice finding that someone is actually listening and taking any notice of me in the house.
    ;)
    RS
     
    Heat, RolandK and KIAB like this.
  5. RolandK

    RolandK Screwfix Select

    Yes I think these were invented for Billy No Mates like us . Lol
     
    Heat likes this.
  6. RolandK

    RolandK Screwfix Select

    Yes I believe it's actually extra terrestrials listening in just to get as much info as possible before they come and save us. Unfortunately everything they hear they have to put through Google translate so it could be a while!
     
  7. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    Roland, you really do not understand the security issues when you have items of kit that are web connected and that have access to your routine around the house. Would you consider changing the factory set access code and password to make it more difficult for unauthorised access to occur? probably not. It is not aliens that listen, it is algorithms, programmes intended to track your habits, just as Goggle and E Bay do, that's where the targeted adverts come from when you open your E Mail or see adverts around your e mail pages. Big Brother is here and he is watching us all, or am I paranoid?
     
  8. DIYDave.

    DIYDave. Screwfix Select

    Targeted adverts ...... is that such a big problem Bob ?

    Like any form of advertising, companies are there to be in business, sell stuff to us and to make a profit

    We all have a free choice to decide to buy or not buy from a particular company

    Yes there are people that are seduced by advertising, they will make a decision on how glossy the advert looks, what supermodel (male or female) has been paid to appear flogging a particular brand, and countless other factors

    These advertising agencies clearly shell out millions for a reason, David Beckam and his ilk don’t come cheap I’m sure - and these adverts must work - to a percentage of the population, otherwise they wouldn’t bother making them

    Your financial situation will automatically rule out your ‘partcipation’ in certain products. I would dearly like to purchase a Jauguar F Type but, at the moment, this will have to wait until funds can be allocated (gonna be some time me thinks :()

    When it’s not purely money driven, I honestly believe I make a choice on what shampoo and what coffee I drink with my own free will

    Because David Genola uses Head and Shoulders on his luscious French locks and Gorgeous George Clonney drinks Nespresso coffee to keep him awake, these ‘facts’ mean nothing to me - I will make my own choices thank you, even after seeing the adverts countless times

    Likewise, we own a cat, buy cat food from Tesco and now and again, tesco send us vouchers for money off cat food

    So that’s targeted advertising, my cat likes Tesco cat food, so we keep on buying it along with the weekly shop, and yeah, save a few pennies with the vouchers - so not always something to be fearful of

    No point in Tesco sending us vouchers for money off dog food is there ? Or Head and Shoulders, or Neapresso - I still ain’t gonna buy either

    Way too much paranoia and c rap being peddled about ‘smart home’ technology

    Embrace it but remember, as humans, we must always remain in charge and on top, but nothing wrong in accepting a little helpful intervention

    Chill and relax :)
     
    RolandK likes this.
  9. furious_customer

    furious_customer Screwfix Select

    A little paranoid I think.
    Consider what happens when you walk down the street - anyone is able to look at you and see your face, your height, your build, your hair colour, the type and colour of clothes you are wearing, what direction you were walking in, were you going fast or slow and they will know *exactly* where you were at that time and date.

    All of this is your personal data and they can get it simply by looking at you. And you have no control over how they could potentially use it.
    (For example, they could decide to go burgle your house because they know that you are not there.)

    Isn't that terrifying?
     
    RolandK likes this.
  10. RolandK

    RolandK Screwfix Select

    Once you use the internet in any way you have to acknowledge that data can be gathered about you and have to make the decision whether to use it or not. Personally, the benefits of using the internet both for educational reasons (such as this forum) and for the convenience of purchasing online outweigh the downside of such irritations as so called personalised adverts and spam Emails. Being on the internet has it's risks same as many other things in life. It remains for the individual to evaluate the risk and make measured decisions accordingly. There is a lot of misinformation out there about the risk of using smart devices connected to the internet on the basis that it makes a 'good story' whereas telling everyone it's totally safe doesn't!
    Consider the logistics of monitoring even a small fraction of the traffic that takes place on just Amazon Echo devices globally. The resources and sheer costs involved would be colossal. What would Amazon or any other organisation profit from by doing that. They don't have to secretly listen in to my household to find out my food mixer is bust; they can glean that from the fact that I just browsed their website looking for a new one.
    Yes, we can and should take precautions with using the internet. I am aware of that as I retired three years ago from a 46 year carreer in IT including many facets of the industry including security consultancy.
     
  11. Astramax

    Astramax Super Member

    Oh dear!:(
    In that case you should know better!:(
     
    Deleted member 11267 likes this.
  12. RolandK

    RolandK Screwfix Select

    That's the point, I do know better!
     
  13. sparky steve

    sparky steve Screwfix Select

    No thank you! It's basically a mic listening in ! Smart devices connected to the internet come with poor security & are easily hacked.
    Alan and Jean, a couple from Leeds, were being watched by thousands of people around the world and didn’t even know.
    Panorama's Hacked: Smart Home Secrets aired on BBC One.
     
    Astramax likes this.
  14. Astramax

    Astramax Super Member

    Doesn't sound like it as you have been suckered into the system like a Warlock. You are letting the bstards win.
     
    sparky steve likes this.
  15. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    From the replies that have been made to my earlier posts, it appears that many people are happy and willing to have their conversations monitored remotely by no one in particular and then to have that information used to sell them stuff, to find spoken PIN numbers, and to find out when you are away from home (as some examples). We should all be acutely aware that these bits of information, on their own are fairly innocuous, but collect and collate them and you will soon be able to construct a personal profile for every member of the household, then go to Facebook and get the photographs and BINGO! your identity has been stolen. People do not listen in, machines do it, looking for key words, just as GCHQ do on phone conversations.
    This vision of the future is not drawn from paranoia, but knowledge, I have a HND in Electronics with a computing element and my wife has a degree in Computer Science. We both understand and assess the risks of using our connected devices.
    On a closing note, how would you feel if the State was listening in on you, opening your texts and e mails, following you around, I think many would object to the Sate doing this. But many seem compliant when multinational companies, responsible only to shareholders, do it. Amazing don't you think?
     
  16. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    But that information is not in the hands of an organised data collection regime that will take it and add it to the other bits of info about you that were collected previously. Our personal data is gold dust to many companies, we should protect it carefully.
     
  17. RolandK

    RolandK Screwfix Select

    I haven't been suckered into anything. I felt I needed a system mainly to replace an ageing home automation system. Having evaluated certains options I made my decision. The microphone on my system is off more than on and when it is on there is precious little useful information it could pick up from any conversations here.
    Ok now somebody is going to tell me the mic on/off button is a dummy and actually it is on all the time?!
     
  18. RolandK

    RolandK Screwfix Select

    Yes truly amazing, almost too amazing to be true?
     
  19. Astramax

    Astramax Super Member

    Sorry RolandK........should have written Morlock not Warlock, (The Time Machine, Jules Verne).
     
  20. RolandK

    RolandK Screwfix Select

    I figured Warlock was wrong but didn't know what substitute but I got the gist.
    Damned auto complete?
     

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