Is Alexa Always Listening?

 We always joke about how the government is listening to every one of our conversations through our devices. What if it really is true? Is someone listening to our deepest desires and fears? Is someone feeding us products that we tell ourselves that we shouldn't buy? Is someone feeding us information and news that only support our personal views?

A few years ago, Amazon's Echo Dot became a popular product for consumers. According to Ford and Palmer, there are about 8 million Echo family devices sold since 2014 (Ford & Palmer, 2019). Its popularity came to be because the Amazon Alexa Voice (AVS) offers voice-activated services in devices, such as thermostats, security cameras, refrigerators, and even automobile systems. While it seems great at first, a lot of people began to question if there is an invasion of privacy and if these devices are worth the expense of convenience. Obviously, this is an ongoing ethical issue that needs to be addressed. In Ford and Palmer's study, they discovered that consumers can disable the microphone feature. However, it takes away the purpose of having an Echo Dot in the first place because you can't use Alexa's hands-free features, such as playing music or controlling the home features. In addition, they found that the Echo Dot does not have a voice training setting, but rather listens for "Alexa" (Ford & Palmer, 2019). It is very unclear on whether or not the device is only able to recognize this wake word, "Alexa," or records the audio 24/7. 

This also leads to another question about social media. I recently heard about the Netflix documentary, "The Social Dilemma." I have not seen it yet, but I heard that your phone knows everything about you, starting from what you like to shop for to your political views. It is terrifying how you have one conversation about your best friend's wishlist and having ads about those products pop up everywhere. 

References

Ford, M., Palmer, W. (2019). Alexa, Are You Listening to Me? An Analysis of Alexa Voice Service Network Traffic. Pers Ubiquit Comput 23, 67–79. https://doi-org.dml.regis.edu/10.1007/s00779-018-1174-x.