[Electronics-Talk] Amazon Alexa is listening to you. How to stop it. | Komando.com

[Luis Guerra]

Alexa IS listening to your conversations
By  James Gelinas, Komando.com
Alexa IS listening to your conversations

Tap or click to listen to the latest from Kim in just one minute.

Whenever a game-changing device or product comes out, skeptics are 
always the first to ask "What's the catch?" Nothing is free in this 
world, after all.
With technology, similar logic should apply. When something truly 
revolutionary is released, it's always smart to ask yourself "What am I 
giving up in
exchange for this?"

Many people have welcomed Amazon's Alexa system into their homes without 
so much as a second thought. The device provides instant web services by 
voice
command, which is a feature people have dreamed of since Star Trek first 
aired on TV.

These features are groundbreaking, so there has to be some sort of 
trade-off behind the scenes, right?

As it turns out, the truth is a bit more sinister. Alexa isn't just 
smart because of its programming -- it's been getting human help on the 
back end. Thousands
of employees around the world are analyzing audio clips from Alexa 
devices every day, and some of the things they're picking up are 
private, personal,
and disturbing.

"Alexa, are you listening?"

Alexa's engineers are constantly tweaking the voice recognition 
algorithm that powers the home speaker, but doing so requires more than 
just coding knowledge.
Real audio data is needed to build Alexa's vocabulary and improve its 
ability to understand things like slang and regional dialects.

According to a
new report by Bloomberg,
this is the reason Amazon has employed a global team of analysts that 
listen to and transcribe audio samples from Alexa owners -- including 
samples taken
when the machine wasn't activated, or was turned on by accident!

Smart home tips from a guy who did it and lived to tell

Working with as many as 1,000 audio clips each shift, these analysts 
report a mostly mundane workflow peppered with occasionally embarrassing 
or distressing
content. The voice review process works by scanning harvested clips for 
"keywords" that Alexa is already familiar with, such as a brand name or 
musical
artist. From here, the analysts listen to, transcribe and annotate the 
clips to improve Alexa's overall recognition.

However, the clips they receive aren't always from a normal voice 
command. Due to the nature of sound recognition software, false 
positives can trigger
the device to record audio. Which has led to awkward collections, like a 
woman singing off key in the shower.

Some of the clips analysts received have a darker nature, like a child 
screaming for help. In one case, they heard what sounded like a sexual 
assault.

Amazon claims to have very strict protocols over how they handle 
randomly audited clips they collect, saying your full name and address 
is never attached.
The company allegedly has a workflow in place for analysts that find 
upsetting content, urging them to decompress in an internal chatroom 
with fellow employees.

How to stop Alexa from recording you

For those of you wondering how Amazon is getting away with this, the 
process is outlined in their terms and conditions (those lovely 
fine-print agreements
you need to click before you can get to the good stuff). The privacy 
settings of Alexa acknowledge that your voice recording might be 
analyzed during regular
reviews of Alexa's performance -- even if you opt out of sharing clips 
with Amazon.

If you're looking to get as much of your privacy back from Alexa as 
possible, your best bet is to access your stored recordings and delete them.
Click or tap here to learn how to hear all your Alexa recordings and 
delete them, too.

These are the same clips that analysts would be combing through, so by 
curating what analysts can and cannot access, you can enjoy your Alexa 
device minus
the major creep factor.

Alexa might seem like something out of Orwell, but at least Amazon gives 
you the option to pull the plug on some of Big Brother's listening habits.

The easiest way to ensure Alexa isn't listening is to simply turn off 
the microphone on your Alexa-enabled device when you're not using it. 
There is a
button located on top of your Echo or Echo Dot that will turn off the 
mic. (Note: Example in image above.)

Alexa shares more than 1,500 private conversations with complete stranger

According to Amazon, the reason its popular voice assistant Alexa 
records and stores our conversations is for a better "user experience." 
But, what if
your Alexa gave recordings of your personal conversations to a complete 
stranger?

Click or tap to find out what Alexa is storing about you.

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