Helpful, convenient, user-friendly—Amazon Alexa, the voice-activated virtual assistant, is always “happy to help.” Marketed through Echo devices as a tool to make life easier, Alexa has an answer for anything:
Planning a beach trip? Try “Alexa, what’s the weather like on Saturday?”
Hands full, but want to listen to some music? No problem! “Alexa, play The Lumineers.”
Alexa revolutionized the smart speaker trend, paving the way for devices like Google Nest and Apple Homepod to follow. Undeniably, the popular inventions appear to improve daily life, with accessibility tools and programs unique to their kind—not to mention the friendly, human-like voice that faithfully awaits your command. But how does the device know when its services are needed? The answer is quite simple: it is always listening.
Cleverly, tech giants like Amazon and Apple created a product whose sole function relies on listening to your every word. Rather than sneakily leaving your iPhone’s microphone on (at which the public expresses outrage), they sell a product which explicitly does just that. And consumers love it!
Instances of Alexa listening unprompted are in no short supply. Wary after reading about a suspicious Alexa incident in Portland, one mom checked her device’s history, only to find countless logs of her family’s conversations which Alexa had recorded in secret. Spying is a habit of not only Alexa, but also her ill-intentioned siblings. According to the Washington Post, Amazon, Alexa, and Google store recordings of their users’ voices to “help train their artificial intelligences.” However, I find it difficult to believe their all-too-faultless explanation. A tactic to train A.I., or a malicious ploy to sell data to the government? Personally, I believe the latter.
In their incessant desire for more money, corporations have created products intended to manipulate their users. Fond of tools that make life easier, we think they’re on our side. But I urge you, toss the speaker that has infiltrated your home, and turn off your “Hey Siri” vocal command. For if I ever encounter the deceitful, too-smart speaker, I know what I will ask:
“Alexa, who do you truly work for?”