Smart speakers such as Amazon "eclipsing" users accused of collecting private information

Amazon and other smart speakers "eclipse" users
U.S. Consumer Organization Exposure Smart Speaker Vulnerability Device Keep listening as long as you are on
(Legal Evening News) According to the British "Daily Mail" report, a report issued by Consumer Watchdog, a US consumer protection organization, recently showed that patent applications from Amazon and Google have exposed how their smart speakers "eclipse" users. . According to the organization’s research, it can be seen from the patent applications of these two giants that these devices may be used as monitoring devices for collecting large amounts of information and advertising.
The study warns that in the near future, smart speakers can listen to everything you do, from confidential conversations to the habit of flushing toilets. The new version of smart home products can even collect user data and sell it to the corresponding product.
The study found
Amazon, Google smart speakers can listen to users through the speakers
Google HOME and Amazon Echo are two smart speakers that are currently on the market. Google Home was launched in 2016 and can be used to control the sound, play music, or answer simple questions. It connects to the lights and thermostats in the home and becomes the home control center. Amazon Echo is called "Alexa" voice assistant can communicate with users like a friend, but also can play music, news, online purchase orders, calling cars, order takeout and so on.
However, Consumer Watchdog's research found a loophole in this seemingly large smart speaker. Logically speaking, smart voice devices only react when they hear “awaken words”. For Amazon Echo speakers, the wakeup word is "Alexa," and for Google Home smart home devices, the wakeup word is "OK, Google." The organization's research found that even if users think that smart speakers are in a "sleep" state, they can be "awakened." In fact, these devices always listen to sounds as long as they are on. Amazon, on the other hand, envisages using Alexa, an audio assistant, to collect information and create a file for anyone in the room, and sells it to them accordingly.
It is reported that Amazon submitted an algorithm patent application that allows future intelligent speech devices to identify statements of interest. For example, if the user says "I like skiing", the device can monitor through the speakers and recommend relevant advertisements for this preference.
Google’s patent application describes the scenario where the smart home system will monitor all activities in the home. According to the patent description, the device can obtain a variety of information. Whether it is family members' preferences for television programs or their hygiene habits, they can be obtained through this new technology.
John Simpson, director of the organization’s privacy and technology program, said: “Google and Amazon want you to think that their smart home devices can use your voice to help you. But in reality, they are at home and you and your family are Collect your event information as much as possible."
Company statement
Amazon Says It Will Not Use Customer Recordings for Targeted Advertising
In response, Amazon’s spokesperson said, “We value privacy and have established a multi-layered privacy protection setting in Echo Smart Home devices. We will not use customer’s recordings for targeted advertising. Like many companies, we Many forward-looking patent applications were filed and all possibilities for new technologies explored. A new patent takes years to gain recognition, and it does not necessarily reflect current product and service trends."
But Consumer Watchdog, a consumer protection organization, said that Google and Amazon are most interested in placing advertisements by snooping on data obtained in everyday life. Once relevant information is obtained, others can access it. For example, some home insurance companies and utility companies have reached an agreement with intelligent thermostat company Nest to place smart speakers in the customer's home.
Law enforcement agencies have already tried to obtain information collected by smart devices. Last year, the Amazon Echo speaker made headlines. At the time, American police were investigating a murder and trying to retrieve the recording of the device.
Consumer Watch's research report warns that hackers and identity thefters are also likely to access data that Google and Amazon are monitoring.
China's landing point
Two Smart Speakers Taobao sells several domestic companies to promote similar products
Currently, Amazon's Echo speakers and Google's Google Home are not listed in the Chinese market. However, sellers sell on Taobao. Among them, Amazon's latest Echo Plus is priced at more than 1,000 yuan in 2017, while the mini version of Google Home is priced between 300-500 yuan.
It is understood that Echo is a smart speaker released by Amazon in June 2015. It is equipped with a microphone display consisting of 7 microphones, which can clearly capture vocals 15 meters away. Its backstage is a smart dialogue platform called Alexa. Through this intelligent platform, Echo can understand and execute the owner's voice instructions, such as "find and play the hottest single of Adele" and "temperature the home smart oven from 220 The degree is lowered to 125 degrees and so on.
Google launched a similar product, Google Home, in May 2016. The product uses Google's assistants to identify the user's voice control, which translates into a comprehensive intelligent voice-activated information source.
As these two smart home products have exploded in foreign countries, many domestic companies have also launched similar products. In April 2017, Lenovo introduced the smart speaker product Smart Assistant. Its cylindrical appearance looks similar to Amazon's Echo speaker. The product is still in the evaluation stage in China, but Lenovo’s official website in the United States has begun to sell, priced at 129.99 US dollars.
Expert interpretation
Should avoid data collected by the server from being pushed back to specific individuals
Li Tiejun, a security expert of Kingsoft Internet Security, said in an interview with the Legal Evening News reporter that smart home devices collect corresponding voice data through the terminal and transmit it to the server for analysis and use of the voice AI program. Smart speakers collect the user's speech, which involves speech recognition and instruction execution.
From the perspective of privacy protection, data collected by the server should be avoided from being pushed back to specific individuals. In other words, the server collects a lot of speech segments, artificial intelligence programs will analyze the processing of these voices, identify the content of the voice, and feedback to the speaker according to the results of the user's needs. However, if you push back from the smart device and determine the user's identity, there will be related privacy risks.
Han Weili, a dean of the School of Software at Fudan University, said in an interview with the media earlier: "To solve the security problem of the Internet of Things smart home application, we must first increase investment in system security technology and use technology technology." He pointed out that the analysis of smart home The possible safety issues and the clarification of their nature are very complex and serious scientific issues. Researchers need to combine the technology itself with the actual application and invest a lot of manpower and material resources to carry out extensive and in-depth work. This aspect is often ignored by industry professionals in the smart home and Internet of Things.

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