What does it mean to always have someone listening? During WW2 the saying was “Loose lips sink ships“, should we now say “Your lips sell out”. Can we trust that these always on devices are not used against us, but only for us? The convenience is great, and the trust we give the companies extensive. In the ongoing trial against James Bates, at least some safeguards are revealed.
The other thing we don’t know is if the information will be of any use. Alexa records and simultaneously dumps constantly, and only stores information for a quarter of a second before it hears the word “Alexa” (or whatever you’ve chosen as your wake-word).
However, there is always the unknown factor you cant foresee or control with technology:
My wife asked why I carried a gun around the house. I told her:fear of CIA. She Laughed, I laughed, the Amazon Echo Laughed. I shot the Echo
— Ron Futrell (@RonFutrell) March 7, 2017
I dont know if we are trading down, but for now Im willing to try, but with purchasing turned of.
This post is also available in Norsk.