Are Alexa and other devices eavesdropping?

@suzianne said
Did that bad feminist take your binkie away?

If she were at all clever, that would be one thing, but geeezz...

@suzianne said
Wow, coincidences 'convince' you.

No wonder you believe all those Global Research articles.

You are such an idiot. Try it yourself so you know from experience.

Shop for a bicycle engine kit or something else you would not normally buy so there are several links on your browser history that appear as though you really want to buy one. Then go on facebook and take notice of what ads they target you with. Then tell me it is a coincidence.

@metal-brain said
You are such an idiot. Try it yourself so you know from experience.

Shop for a bicycle engine kit or something else you would not normally buy so there are several links on your browser history that appear as though you really want to buy one. Then go on facebook and take notice of what ads they target you with. Then tell me it is a coincidence.

I've just bloody explained how it works.
And you've agreed to using the cookies.

Yes. With current EU privacy laws, they have to make it far more explicit (so you actively select to participate and that you are informed), but in the US, as far as I know, so long as they mention it, it's fine.

https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/previous
Here you can read their complete privacy statement.

Basically they share everything with integrated META systems. And they share information you've declared "open" with lots of different parties.

Every internet company has a privacy policy.

@shavixmir said
I've just bloody explained how it works.
And you've agreed to using the cookies.

Yes. With current EU privacy laws, they have to make it far more explicit (so you actively select to participate and that you are informed), but in the US, as far as I know, so long as they mention it, it's fine.

https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/previous
Here you can read their ...[text shortened]... 've declared "open" with lots of different parties.

Every internet company has a privacy policy.

That is all true for sure, but my issue is whether there is a nefarious, let’s say an illegal, listening in on private conversation in your living rooms. My wife once came to me and said she was just talking on the phone to her friend about a certain item and the item popped up for sale on her computer.
Hey, maybe we could speak in another language, and it would not understand us. No. on second thought, all languages are pouring in pthrough our southern border.!!!!

@averagejoe1 said
That is all true for sure, but my issue is whether there is a nefarious, let’s say an illegal, listening in on private conversation in your living rooms. My wife once came to me and said she was just talking on the phone to her friend about a certain item and the item popped up for sale on her computer.
Hey, maybe we could speak in another language, and it would not understand us. No. on second thought, all languages are pouring in pthrough our southern border.!!!!

You mean, that if Siri or Alexa are off, if they're still picking up your conversations?
I can't see how that would work. Didn't you just leave it on?

Or that someone is actively using the device to eaves drop on you for intelligence purposes?

Hardly likely. They'd need a court order to do that.
And, say, it's the Maffia or NSA (who presumably don't use court orders), why the hell would they be listening to you?

Reading your comments on a bloody chess forum is daunting enough, let alone hear you whine about foreigners to your wife over a bottle of booze.

@wildgrass said
No there's way too much data for targeted ads based on voice.

You or your darlin' probably already googled something - directions to the hardware store, a YouTube video on how to cook TV dinners over an open flame - that triggered the ad.

I was talking about Abraham Lincoln with someone and when I looked at my phone on the table it had pulled up info on him. With that said I disagree.

@shavixmir said
You mean, that if Siri or Alexa are off, if they're still picking up your conversations?
I can't see how that would work. Didn't you just leave it on?

Or that someone is actively using the device to eaves drop on you for intelligence purposes?

Hardly likely. They'd need a court order to do that.
And, say, it's the Maffia or NSA (who presumably don't use court ord ...[text shortened]... m is daunting enough, let alone hear you whine about foreigners to your wife over a bottle of booze.

Oops, off issue about my domestic situation? Is this Kewpie, or Suzianne.?
Obviously my point, my thread, is based on the fact that the devices are turned on, plugged in, active, powered up, whatever. Why do you fellers go so inane all the time?

@shavixmir said
I've just bloody explained how it works.
And you've agreed to using the cookies.

Yes. With current EU privacy laws, they have to make it far more explicit (so you actively select to participate and that you are informed), but in the US, as far as I know, so long as they mention it, it's fine.

https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/previous
Here you can read their ...[text shortened]... 've declared "open" with lots of different parties.

Every internet company has a privacy policy.

I know. Explain that to suzi.

@averagejoe1 said
That is all true for sure, but my issue is whether there is a nefarious, let’s say an illegal, listening in on private conversation in your living rooms. My wife once came to me and said she was just talking on the phone to her friend about a certain item and the item popped up for sale on her computer.
Hey, maybe we could speak in another language, and it would not understand us. No. on second thought, all languages are pouring in pthrough our southern border.!!!!

Your cell phone can be used to eavesdrop on you if someone is motivated to do so, but it is likely someone is snooping your browser history.

https://www.sciencealert.com/are-our-phones-really-listening-to-us-turns-out-they-don-t-have-to

Have you heard of the Pegasus Project?

https://thewire.in/world/pegasus-hacking-jamal-khashoggi-wife

@averagejoe1 said
Oops, off issue about my domestic situation? Is this Kewpie, or Suzianne.?
Obviously my point, my thread, is based on the fact that the devices are turned on, plugged in, active, powered up, whatever. Why do you fellers go so inane all the time?

Well, then it picks things up. Yeah.
One would think if it’s command operated, it won’t pick up anything without a command though.

@averagejoe1 said
That is all true for sure, but my issue is whether there is a nefarious, let’s say an illegal, listening in on private conversation in your living rooms. My wife once came to me and said she was just talking on the phone to her friend about a certain item and the item popped up for sale on her computer.
Hey, maybe we could speak in another language, and it would not understand us. No. on second thought, all languages are pouring in pthrough our southern border.!!!!

That may or may not have been a coincidence.

Assuming it was not, there is no ‘they’ who was listening. It’s completely automated. And there’s no ‘off’ switch.

@metal-brain said
I could argue it is stealing. They are stealing your info behind your back. I didn't know they were snooping my browser history until I saw the targeted ads. After looking into e bikes facebook posted ads about e bikes. That is how I knew, but facebook does not tell you that is what they are doing. You have to find out on your own.

Full disclosure would have been nice.

I could argue you're giving it to them for free.

If you pay for web content, like local news subscriptions, you see a lot fewer ads. If you want the content for free, this is the implicit tradeoff. Someone needs to pay the bills.

@moonbus said
I don't mean to be alarmist and I'm not a conspiracy theorist in the sense that there was no evil intent to control us, but "it works out that way" pretty well sums up my attitude toward social media linked to big data. Many people are incredibly naive about the digital footprints they leave across the Internet. Leave your name at one site, your postal address at another (so ...[text shortened]... olling its own citizens abroad).

No one calls this "eavesdropping" -- it just works out that way.

I sure as hell wouldn't let an Alexa loose in my home, or anything like it. For all the risks such a device poses to privacy, I don't see what the advantage is of having one. I mean, what void in one's life is such a thing supposed to fill? My sister-in-law gave me one a few years ago as a gift, and I dumped it into a charity bin in its original packaging.

And I've never been on Facebook, never used Twitter, and am nowhere to be found on social media. It's all crap, and not to be trusted.

@soothfast said
I sure as hell wouldn't let an Alexa loose in my home, or anything like it. For all the risks such a device poses to privacy, I don't see what the advantage is of having one. I mean, what void in one's life is such a thing supposed to fill? My sister-in-law gave me one a few years ago as a gift, and I dumped it into a charity bin in its original packaging.

And I've ne ...[text shortened]... er used Twitter, and am nowhere to be found on social media. It's all crap, and not to be trusted.

The void must first be conjured, an imaginary need invented, a seedling contrived in the mind of a Mark Zuckerberg (whose name in German means “sugar mountain” ) or a Larry Paige to monetize a niche which doesn’t even know it exists yet. For sooth, the ‘advantage’ is not in the having of one, but solely in the selling.

@soothfast said
I sure as hell wouldn't let an Alexa loose in my home, or anything like it. For all the risks such a device poses to privacy, I don't see what the advantage is of having one. I mean, what void in one's life is such a thing supposed to fill? My sister-in-law gave me one a few years ago as a gift, and I dumped it into a charity bin in its original packaging.

And I've ne ...[text shortened]... er used Twitter, and am nowhere to be found on social media. It's all crap, and not to be trusted.

Isn’t this forum social media?