Posted on 03/21/2020 1:01:01 PM PDT by BenLurkin
U.K. law firm Mishcon de Reya LLP, the law firm that handled Princess Diana's divorce, told its attorneys stuck at home to turn off Alexa or Google Assistant when they are discussing sensitive matters pertaining to any client. A partner at the firm suggests that lawyers working from home should keep all of their devices away from their workspace. Mishcon de Reya partner Joe Hancock, who runs the firm's cybersecurity unit, also worries that other devices, such as Amazon's doorbell security camera Ring, baby monitors and CCTVs, are also a problem.
Hancock also notes that his firm is less worried about name-brand devices like those made by Amazon and is more concerned with cheap knock-off units. One issue is that the assistants on smart speakers have a propensity to activate accidentally. Testing done by Northeastern University and Imperial College London found that smart speaker assistants are inadvertently activated between 1.5 and 19 times a day. All it takes is one accidental activation for confidential information to be passed along. Of course, the virtual assistants are not supposed to be activated until the hotword (such as 'Hey Google' or 'Alexa') is said. But sometimes, in the middle of a conversation, something similar to the wakeword is uttered or the assistant thinks that a particular noise is the wake word. For example, the sound of a zipper sometimes will activate Siri.
Consider that last year, the number of active smart speakers installed in the U.S. was 76 million and that number continues to rise. While smart speakers remain one of the fastest-growing devices in the tech world, if you are now working from home, you must be aware of their location when you are doing your job.
(Excerpt) Read more at phonearena.com ...
Work from home using a 5G network produced by Huawei. What could go wrong?!?! </sarc>
Most people’s computers are just like Alexa.
Turn all voice assistants off and cover the camera unless you’re using it.
Cellphones too.
Well, Duh!
I will not let one of those devices in my house.
Well, I guess if you can turn on the light without getting up it's worth it.
Most SMART TVs are the same as Alexa.
Microphones and Cameras and AI software so that the TV can learn your viewing habits.
In America television watches you.
You can try turning assistants off but most of them have a hidden backdoor that triggers them on again. Normally waking up on keyword phrases such as,
“Promise you won’t tell anybody this but...”
“This stays just between us” or
“The secret recipe for KFC is...”
They have facial recognition software as well.
They can recognize who is watching TV so that the TV can make use specific recommendations as to what to watch.
There is little privacy in your house if there is a SMART anything in the room.
A few months back, it was discovered that while you selected a button to NOT enable the mic, the camera, location, data collection, etc., it was purely discretionary by the vendor (e.g., Apple, MS, Google, etc.) whether they would honor your selection. Obviously, they will record as much as possible.
I’m just a little peon in the world. No one interested in me.
Your cellphone is also listening and sending ads to you based on what it hears.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.