Freaking out over Alexa

[Serenata67]

@ZipperJJ

I’m having a problem lately where my radio is talking to my Alexa

I listen to the baseball games on my radio, which sits 3’ from Alexa. The radio station is now running ads for their iHeartRadio app (being that it’s an iHeartRadio station) that includes the line “Alexa, tune in to WMMS on iHeartRadio.” My Alexa (Echo) dutifully obliges the radio.

I read an article around the time of the last Super Bowl about how Amazon is able to stop all Echos from responding to the “Alexa” in Echo commercials by feeding the specific triggering sound clip from the commercial into the global Echo backend system and making it ignore that sound clip. Unfortunately, Amazon can’t do this for every little radio station that tries to be cute with its marketing.

This happened to me. A local car dealership would start their commercials with people talking to Alexa about various things, and she would “respond” by encouraging them to visit that car dealership. Like, “Alexa, who is going to win the Superbowl?” Alexa: “I’m not sure about that, but I am sure that XXX Dealership has great deals this weekend for their Super Savings Sale!” It was soooo annoying.

Also, I was watching an episode of Jeopardy with a contestant named Alexa. So Mr. Trebek would say, “Alexa” and the contestant would say “What is XXX?” It was funny at first, but by the time single Jeopardy was done, my Alexa was unplugged.

[Lasciel]

There’s also this. Alexa and Siri Can Be Controlled Using Subliminal Messages Hidden in Music

I’m sure they’ll fix it. But it’s a game of whack a mole as different vectors for commands or exploits or tricks or outright hacks pop up, and i’m not interested in letting them play it in my house.

[Mikemike2]

@Pabitel

Pull the plug and put it in the closet.

By the time he joins you these things will probably have run their course anyway so it will probably never again see the light of day.

I figure these gizmos will have the staying power of 3D TVs. By 2019 you’ll only see them at garage sales. There simply is no long term use case for them. Once the novelty wears off and security issues mount they will tank.

Doubt it

Voice control is the best way to accomplish many tasks. Nothing beats saying from bed “turn off bedroom lights” or in the morning “cancel alarm”.

[Slash1972]

Yeah, and it’s actually pretty awesome to tell her to play any song that I am thinking of that second and then add it to a playlist for later. No fiddling around with apps, phones, itunes or whatever.

[Mikemike2]

@ZipperJJ

I’m having a problem lately where my radio is talking to my Alexa

I listen to the baseball games on my radio, which sits 3’ from Alexa. The radio station is now running ads for their iHeartRadio app (being that it’s an iHeartRadio station) that includes the line “Alexa, tune in to WMMS on iHeartRadio.” My Alexa (Echo) dutifully obliges the radio.

I heard something similar over our radio, a direct command to Alexa to turn on a program. Sooo Cheeky. I would think it would cause a huge backlash against the advertiser, I’m even surprised the radio station allowed it.

[ISiddiqui]

@Mikemike2

Voice control is the best way to accomplish many tasks. Nothing beats saying from bed “turn off bedroom lights” or in the morning “cancel alarm”.

Yep. The fiancee was a bit wary of all the smart home stuff I had when we moved in together (I have both Echos and Google Homes as well a Phillips Smart Lights), but those subsided quickly when she realized she could turn on and off the lights in the bedroom with her voice (and could quickly and easily set kitchen timers with both hands dirty).

[Mikemike2]

I think voice control will change from the current little speakers to just being built into many other devices like screens and TVs. Having visual input as an option gives more flexibility. If I am doing a recipe, I want to be able to scan it visually.

Evidently Google assistant just came out with 6 new voices to choose from.

[Darren_Garrison]

Freak out even freakier, my freak.

[Mikemike2]

@Darren_Garrison

Freak out even freakier, my freak.

Sending inaudible messages that activates a speaker is freaky. I am sure this is a security hole that can be fixed, and there will be new security risks.

[thornyrose]

It has to be always listening, or it would not hear the wake up word. No thanks!

[GreenWyvern]

Amazon’s Alexa recorded private conversation and sent it to random contact

Danielle found out her Alexa was recording when she received an alarming call from one of her husband’s colleagues saying: “Unplug your Alexa devices right now, you’re being hacked.”

She told KIRO-TV in Seattle that at first she didn’t believe the co-worker, but then she said: “You sat there talking about hardwood floors.” Danielle realised the colleague must have heard everything.

“I felt invaded,” she told KIRO-TV. “A total privacy invasion. Immediately, I said, ‘I’m never plugging that device in again because I can’t trust it.’”

An Amazon customer service representative confirmed that Danielle’s audio had been sent to the number and apologised but didn’t provide any information about why the device had been activated. A spokesperson for the company said it had “determined this was an extremely rare occurrence”.

Amazon later said that Alexa misunderstood background conversation as commands.

[The_Other_Waldo_Pepper]

@GreenWyvern

Amazon later said that Alexa misunderstood background conversation as commands.

Man, someday I’m going to tell my boss what I really think of him.

[Jackmannii]

@GreenWyvern

Amazon later said that Alexa misunderstood background conversation as commands.

If I owned this device, I would be tempted to accidentally hurl it into the wall and see how Alexa interpreted that.