So I got an Amazon Dot....

[Zigman66]

A customer of mine got me this Amazon Dot for Christmas. The wife was nice enough to do the basic setup for me the other night and of course we had some fun playing with it that night. When I got home from work I had it play some music and I asked it some obtuse questions to see what answers it would give. This morning my wife grabbed the tablet she used to set it up and showed me that it showed everything we asked it to do. Dang good thing I didn't ask it for the building plans for Fort Knox! So, already knowing I give up some privacy with this thing, what can I or should I do to minimize the privacy invasion short of unplugging it?

I used to think that customer liked me...........

 

[Deleted User]

I don't know what's more dangerous - A digital assistant that logs everything you ask it, or a technologically savvy wife

 

[dontpanicbobby]

It's an early adopter thing Ziggy. Not as bad as the press makes it out to be.

I'm avoiding Early-Adopter Syndrome this year. Made a resolution!

There's an answer to your problem on the interwebs. You just have to dig deep.

 

[Zigman66]

I was thinking of asking Alexa

 

[Zigman66]

I did. She wouldn't give me an answer at all. Sneaky little.........

 

[dontpanicbobby]

You have to learn her language.

 

[shalemail]

On a serious note, on the google home mini (only one I can speak to) there's a physical switch that can turn off the mic. So if you're going to have your international spy meeting at the house tonight, you can just turn it off - or unplug it as you mentioned.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

That works shalemail, but proper syntax is more elegant.

 

[Unforgiven]

On a serious note, on the google home mini (only one I can speak to) there's a physical switch that can turn off the mic. So if you're going to have your international spy meeting at the house tonight, you can just turn it off - or unplug it as you mentioned.

You can mute the mic on the Dot as well. In theory, it isn't listening if it doesn't light up. I doubt that myself, but I also use an Android phone so all of my private info has already been pretty much commercialized anyway.

 

[mikedt]

A customer of mine got me this Amazon Dot for Christmas. The wife was nice enough to do the basic setup for me the other night and of course we had some fun playing with it that night. When I got home from work I had it play some music and I asked it some obtuse questions to see what answers it would give. This morning my wife grabbed the tablet she used to set it up and showed me that it showed everything we asked it to do. Dang good thing I didn't ask it for the building plans for Fort Knox! So, already knowing I give up some privacy with this thing, what can I or should I do to minimize the privacy invasion short of unplugging it?

I used to think that customer liked me...........

Quite frankly I just don't like the idea of the current trend for always listening online IoT devices. I think you're buying and installing your own bug for the govt. spooks to listen in on you, if they wanted.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Only if they realize it's there @mikedt

 

[Zigman66]

For clarification, I am not referring to the always listening aspect, even tho that kinda creeps me out. When I or my wife opens the Alexa app on her tablet it shows everything either of us ever asked or requested. While I am too dumb to be able to hide things from my wife I still find that part to be creepy in the aspect that I don't need to know what she is looking up nor does she need to know what I look up. Can really wreck a birthday surprise, ya know what I mean?

Plus, if it is logging all that thru the app, who else gets that list??

 

[dontpanicbobby]

It's a feature.
You can probably turn it off but I didn't charge my tablet so I can't check.

 

[Unforgiven]

For clarification, I am not referring to the always listening aspect, even tho that kinda creeps me out. When I or my wife opens the Alexa app on her tablet it shows everything either of us ever asked or requested. While I am too dumb to be able to hide things from my wife I still find that part to be creepy in the aspect that I don't need to know what she is looking up nor does she need to know what I look up. Can really wreck a birthday surprise, ya know what I mean?

Plus, if it is logging all that thru the app, who else gets that list??

I really wouldn't stress about it. My whole family is using 5 of them (well, one dot, three Eufy Genie's, and a Vobot). I don't use it to order things, and if I did, it would be mundane household stuff. I don't stress if my wife knows what music I call for since its the same thing I put on the car radio (well, since I listen to SiriusXM on both, it is exactly the same channels).

 

[dontpanicbobby]

a Vobot? WTF!
I need to read more...

 

[Unforgiven]

a Vobot? WTF!
I need to read more...

It's an Alexa enabled clock essentially.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Does it do video chat?

 

[dan330]

if they log.. all the "noise / conversations" ..24/7.... from all these kinds of devices..
then they have some master program to tag and categorize everything...
can you imagine the size of this database after 1 yr.. 5 yrs.. 10 yrs???

with this database..
for someone that has many devices.. and a large store of info on that person
and through some behavior analysis application......
they can pretty much KNOW this person! upto 90% prediction or higher.



scary direction of tech ... crap!

 

[dontpanicbobby]

A few terabytes probably.

 

[Zigman66]

@Unforgiven : Any advantages/disadvantages between your other devices and the dot?

 

[Zigman66]

It's a feature.
You can probably turn it off but I didn't charge my tablet so I can't check.

All I can see so far is that it allows me to erase the voice part but not the actual interaction

 

[dontpanicbobby]

I bought a really big tablet but use a tiny cord I'm not going to charge it until this weekend...

BOT: Speak slowly and clearly.

 

[Unforgiven]

@Unforgiven : Any advantages/disadvantages between your other devices and the dot?

Dot is the best, plus there are some slick docks for it. I got it for Christmas in a Yankee swap. It has better sound, better vocal pickup (responsds to Alexa better), and the light ring is much more visible.

Genie's don't support all features (drop in for example) and don't have as good of a vocal pickup. They also don't have Bluetooth, so you need to physically connect them to external speakers.

Vobot has similar limitations as the Genie's, but has the display (my son uses it primarily for streaming music and an alarm clock) which is an advantage. It does not have vocal response at this time, but I think they are working to add it via update. For now there is a touch sensor on the top.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Wi-Fi is the new Bluetooth.

 

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