Echo dots can they spy on you

[cuddly61]

My brother brought my elderly father a echo dot .a few weeks ago he linked it with his phone so my parents could use it to call him and he could speak to them over this echo dot.
The other week he said something about this device is always listening then played a recording of me talking about intercoms.but turned this recording off quick when I said that was a invasion of privacy and he laughed .
But can these echo dots when linked like my brother has done with his echo dot so he and my parents can call each other on it ,can he sit at home and do something to listen in on my parents conversation ?
I was visiting my parents today and I noticed their echo dot has this green light going round for a while then stopped when I was asking Alexa the time.
Worse I have a paranoid personality disorder and my brother saying this echo dot is always listening was bad enough but then he played a recording of me talking from his I pad and I know I was not talking about intercoms when he has been at my mums when I’ve been there.
So I need to know can he sit at home and just listen in whenever he wants to what is being said in my parents house.
And is there anything I can do to stop him .

I think they do basically listen to everything but only respond to a command if you say Alexa.

What is it that’s bothering you?

I think that if you go on the linked Alexa app (which may be on your brothers device?) you can hear all the ‘commands’ that come after the ‘wake’ word (Alexa/echo/dot). So usually its things like ‘Alexa, what’s the time’. But I know it does sometimes record bits by mistake, for example if something sounded like ‘Alexa’, it will record a snippet. Keep it in perspective though, and don’t let your thoughts run away with you.

There is a "drop in" feature with the echo which means that anyone with permission (which your brother could easily have set up) can start a call with the dot at any time without the owner having to accept or answer the call. I have only tried it a couple of times so I'm not 100% certain how it works but I think it would at least make some kind of sound when it connects. I believe the ring is green when drop in is in progress. I'm not sure if these calls can be recorded and replayed through the app but I guess that might be possible. In short, I'm not saying your brother is definitely spying on your parents, but it's certainly possible unfortunately

Are they double agents working against him, or plotting his downfall in some way? If not, will it matter if he is listening in (although I expect he will not do this incredibly boring as it will no doubt be). Try not to worry.

Of course it's always listening. How else do you think it years its name?

*hears

Get your parents to discuss loudly and clearly about resetting their wills and leaving be everything just to you. You'll soon find out if your brother has been able to listen in!

Like your suggestion educatingarti lol ok to answer a question asked on here. To put it mildly my brother is pompous he talks down to me and wow if I interrupt when he is telling me something he stops and says” what have I told you about interrupting me “ I’m 57 by the way he is three years older so I’m not a child being spoken to like this.
And the reason I am worried about if he can listen and I will try and keep this brief ok ,my mums identical twin sister had a massive stroke just over two years ago we was told she had no chance of recovery .now her partner had not long before her stroke cruelly finished with her after 22 years. My brother didn’t want her ex partner anywhere near my aunt but the only time she communicated was when I held her hand and asked if she wanted to see her ex partner she pulled my hand towards her and nodded her head once. I asked her again to make sure she did the same.my brother had already left the ward and was waiting for me with my mum I told them and my brother said strange how I asked her after they had left the ward insinuating I was a liar.
My mum said to me after he had left she couldn’t say what to do meaning she was scared of my brother .so knowing what my mum really wanted my partner rang my aunts ex partner and he went to see her she passed away three days later. But sometimes I have talked about this to my mum saying how could he deny our aunt her dying wish, you see non of us has ever told my brother because he is that nasty he would then say it was my fault my aunt died by letting her ex partner go and see her .you see this ex partner did use to upset her after he left her as he use to say she should gonin a care home. But I knew my aunt still loved him and I guessed it is like they say sometimes a person will hold on until they have seen a loved one then pass over.so you see that’s why I’m worried he is listening in it was bad enough not long after my aunt died I mentioned I had picked up my aunts will for her from the solicitors ,my aunt was partially sighted and at that time not well enough to go with me to pick it up,
My brother raged at me calling me a little sh-t saying he was power of attorney etc etc .he even had a go at my aunts solicitor demanding to know why his sister had picked up our aunts will when he was her power of attorney solicitor put him in his place saying power of attorney only comes in when there is loss of capacity and when I picked her will up my aunt had not lost capacity so anyone could act for her.

So your brother is a big bully then. This is really hard to deal with, especially as you and your parents have had years of him terrorising you like this. I would seriously get some counselling to learn how to deal with him and say no to him. Ideally this should be you and your parents so you can present a united front. He doesn't have to be allowed to bully you all, but it can be so hard to stand up to someone like that.

Green spinning light is either a message left for you, or drop in has been requested and accepted and not hung up.

The green light is the drop in feature being activated. It means your brother is able to listen in to whatever is being said. It's meant as a feature to check up on elderly relatives. If you don't want to be listened to, when you see the light just say Alexa end call. You can turn the device off by pushing the button on the top or unplugging while you're there if you prefer.

Switch it off at the socket when you are round. It can't listen then

Thank you when ever I go round my parents now I switch the microphone off. My mum would not say anything to him about it.
I was talking to her on the phone a few days ago suddenly my brother starts talking to her through this echo dot there was no bleep or anything before he started talking .
I said to mum be cryptic with him say I said to her I’ve nickname Alexa 1984 or George Orwell’s and say she has no idea why .that way he would know I know what he had been doing . 1984 was where big brother is watching comes from and he would know that.
But now my mum knows what he has been doing I keep reminding her when we are talking on the phone. You see she uses it to ask the time etc as she is registered blind so I can only turn the mic off when I’m there.