To think Alexa is listening to our conversations?

[Titsywoo]

DH won an Amazon Alexa last year and it sit in the corner of our kitchen. DH kept turning if off as he was paranoid that it listened to our conversations (he works in an internet business and is very careful about his online presence etc). I said it was ridiculous so kept turning back on when listening to music then not bothering to turn it off again. However we are starting to notice we get adverts on facebook about things we have been discussing when at home (and not things we have googled either). For example DH and our builder were talking yesterday about getting some portable heaters as we are losing the central heating for a few weeks while we have a loft conversion done. 10 mins later he is getting adverts for heaters. Coincidence? Or is Alexa a spy sent to collect our data?

It's well known that Alexa listens to everything without being prompted unless you turn off the microphone.

I agree with your DH. It has to be listening to be voice activated surely.

Google Home only listens when prompted but Alexa listens all of the time.

What Grockle said. I'm quite surprised people get shocked by this.

Creepy - makes you wonder what else it is doing with the info it hears...

Your phones listen as well... it's a known fact.

What did you think it was doing? Of course it's listening to everything!

...and people walk blindly into the 1984 trap!

Never ceases to amaze me.

Alexa is well known for this. I started a thread about my phone listening, adverts for things mentioned in conversation etc.
One poster said her daughter ( I think) had been browsing Facebook ( possibly on a laptop) and a man's face popped up very briefly then vanished!
Some telly's are known for listening as well.
Is all a little creepy!

The phones I'm dubious about as the battery drain would be incredible.

it listens, it collects data and then the data is sold on.

Friend says that with facebook and other social media platforms, you're the product they harvest, to sell marketting info on about.

This is quite alarming. I don't have an alexa but I'm unnerved that my phone is listening to me. I sometimes talk to myself and find it weirdly cathartic, I really don't want my phone listening to my deepest darkest thoughts.

I was thinking about getting an Echo over Google Home solely because I can change the wakeup word to "computer" (terribly sad I know). I didn't realise it listened for everything all the time instead of just the wake word. I think Google home only listened after waking? Does anyone know if you can customise the Google wake word yet? The echo is really cheap at the moment and I was on the verge of buying one.

The Google Home wake up is Okay Google or Hey Google, it cannot be changed from those two yet.

Yes of course it is listening; that's it's actual purpose tbh. I'm not particularly bothered but what I do worry about is lack of internet literacy among even the younger generation. On a related note a friend's daughter was recently disciplined following a SnapChat video that made it's way back to her employers.

@VladmirsPoutine my headteacher used to say not to put anything on the internet you wouldn't want your grandma to see and I think that's pretty great!

I’m surprised so many people happily buy these things - I don’t even use Siri! The microphone on Alexa is always on so it can “listen” for your commands.

George Orwell’s 1984 is becoming reality and people are blindly walking into it....

George Orwell’s 1984 is becoming reality and people are blindly walking into it....

^ totally agree. We're actively installing surveillance technology in our homes and carrying it around with us. Makes me want to go and live in a log cabin in the woods.

Of course. Your smart phone captures a lot of what you say too.

Surely that's the point of Alexa?

How is anyone ever surprised by these things? That's the whole point of Alexa - it listens constantly for you to say the trigger word.

There was a recent murder case in the US where there was an Echo at the scene of the crime and the police asked Amazon for the log of what had been listened to that day to see if it captured the perpetrator.

Obviously I know it is supposed to listen but I assumed that was only after it was activated (when you say "Alexa" and the blue light comes on). I didn't think it listened constantly or that it used the information it heard. I never thought about our phones doing it too!

I'm another one shocked that people actually have these things in their homes! Any perceived advantage of not having to type into a search engine/switch a speaker on has got to be massively outweighed by the fact that you have an internet enabled listening device in your house 24/7!

It records everything. Alexa's have recently been used in a few recent murder investigations- with great results!

We're actively installing surveillance technology in our homes and carrying it around with us.

Yep. People happily share their locations, record all the minutae of their day online, and even buy phones and “hubs” or “dots” to for their homes, which listen to their every move and record information about their shopping habits, their heating, when they come and go - and think it’s normal!

I have to say - I don’t get the appeal. Why would you want an Amazon/Google/Apple controlled device to sit in your home and listen to you 24/7?!