How to hear (and delete) every conversation your Google Home has recorded

The Verge ^ | Jul 20, 2018, 1:43pm EDT | Stefan Etienne

[BenLurkin]

With an increasing number of households buying into virtual assistants like Google Home and Amazon Alexa, it’s important to keep in mind that these devices are designed to listen. This includes recording and learning the tone of your voice and improving voice recognition and features for the virtual assistant. It’s supposed to be a feature and not a bug, but it’s landed Amazon’s Echo speakers in hot water after they spontaneously erupted in laughter.

Amazon claimed the affected Echo speakers were triggered by false positive commands. If you’re an Alexa user, it’s possible to delete all of your recorded queries. On the flip side, Google Home hasn’t yet had a similar crisis — at least not to public knowledge — but before it does, it’s good to know how to play back, delete, and organize the queries you’ve made.

To get started, log in to your Google account via a web browser. Click your profile picture in the top right, click on “Google Account,” and afterward you’ll be taken to an overview page. Look for the “Personal info & privacy” column centered in the overview page, then click on “Manage your Google activity.” Once you’re there, scroll down until you reach the “Review activity” section — this is what you’re looking for — and click on the “Go to my activity” link.

If you’re using your phone, the process is similar, but the appearance of the options change a little. To get there, log in to your Google account in the browser and tap the following: your profile picture > Manage Accounts > Google Activity Controls > Manage Activity. You’ll be greeted by a full list of all queries that can be sorted and deleted.

[publius911]

It just seems to me, that not only has technology advanced, but it has gotten more complex [sinister].

There.
Fixed it for you.

[dfwgator]

My biggest laugh of last week. I got a phone call...

Message : The IRS has issued a warrant for your arrest!

You’ll love this one....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuVFcizDwqw

[Dilbert San Diego]

Is it snapchat, or instagram, one of them is supposed to delete the message automatically?? Or so I’ve heard.

I have a feeling that anything involving transmissions online, are there forever. Or can be recovered by people who know how to retrive allegedly disposed of transmissions.

[Truthoverpower]

My advice and my house No TV No internet Internet for my kids 8 ,11 is 💯 by our phones. It’s a very peaceful and worry free way to go through life Also less expensive. More. Outdoors. Reading gardening music

[publius911]

From the link...

Once you click delete, the query is gone forever with no ability to undo. If you’re nervous about what Google Home has recorded, it’s worth noting that the data never leaves Google’s servers or reaches third parties.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

I still have millions of "energy credits" available for sale... Guaranteed by Al Gore.

[eyeamok]

Why would people invite the NSA,CIA, FBI,... in to their home in the first place??

[bgill]

Simpler to just not buy one.

[bgill]

I used to say howdy to the suit behind the screen. They were really bad about OBVIOUSLY messing with my computer back during the Soetoro elections. Every time I went searching into his past or there was a NBC thread - bam! frozen computer.

Hey, suit, how’s things under Trump?

[catnipman]

hard to believe that people have devolved so much from their fear of Big Brother in the 60’s aned 70’s that they actually PAY extra to have Big Brother installed!

[dfwgator]

hard to believe that people have devolved so much from their fear of Big Brother in the 60’s aned 70’s that they actually PAY extra to have Big Brother installed!

"That's OUR Big Brother, now!"

[TheNext]

If you suspect a divorce, child custody case in the near future, then next time you attend your spouse’s home,
say the following.

“Hey Alexa! Download some child porn.”

The next day make a phone call to CPS Child Protection Services.
You now have sole custody rights.

[lizma2]

I got the same message.

This guy was a hoot! Lawn mower in burgundy!! ROFL!!!

[dfwgator]

This guy was a hoot! Lawn mower in burgundy!! ROFL!!!

And he lives in an apartment.

[lizma2]

And he lives in an apartment.

I noticed that too. Made it even better!! This guy is one smart cookie. Thanks for posting it.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

There was a fantastic show back in the late 1970s called "Connections"

James Burke. He was fantastic. I loved the follow up series he did called "The Day The Universe Changed".

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

If you believe you can delete a conversation recorded by Google, you might be a moron. (hat tip Jeff Foxworthy)

"Hey Bill! Why haven't you gotten one of them 'Alexa' thingies yet? They're great. I love mine."
"Sorry Ron. The only one allowed in my bedroom is my wife. Not the government. Here's your sign." (hat tip Bill Engvall)

[Vermont Lt]

I guess I am not the tech nerd I thought I was. I’ve never felt comfortable speaking commands. I can type fast enough. And, I am not so lonely that I want to talk to a microprocessor.