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to think if I ask Alexa what the date is, it shouldn't try to sell something to me

33 replies

chomalungma · 21/11/2020 12:07

Asked Alexa what the date was.
I got the answer, Then a 'by the way, I can order top rated items for you such as headphones, just ask me and I'll do it'.

What next?

If I ask the time, will it say 'I can order you a watch if you want'

OP posts:
Smallsteps88 · 21/11/2020 12:08

What did you think Alexa was for?

chomalungma · 21/11/2020 12:10

@Smallsteps88

What did you think Alexa was for?
To answer my questions.

Not to randomly sell me stuff unrelated to my question.

At least it's not listening to DS's conversations and prompting me to get his present for him at random times.

Yet

OP posts:
Smallsteps88 · 21/11/2020 12:13

Not to randomly sell me stuff unrelated to my question.

Grin aww, that’s cute. Alexa’s sole purpose is to make money out of you.

DdraigGoch · 21/11/2020 12:15

Alexa has never tried to sell me anything. I have got Voice Purchasing turned off and Brief Mode turned on.

chomalungma · 21/11/2020 12:16

Alexa’s sole purpose is to make money out of you

Alexa has failed on that with me.

I think that Alexa might have thought I was wondering when Black Friday was. So took a chance on a quick sell?

OP posts:
feministbias · 21/11/2020 12:16

You allowed a data mining device into your home- what did you think it would do?

chomalungma · 21/11/2020 12:16

But I just asked Alexa when Black Friday was and I got the answer.

And no asking me if I want to buy anything.

OP posts:
Smallsteps88 · 21/11/2020 12:17

Alexa has failed on that with me.

You have no idea what money Alexa has already made out of the information it has gathered from you and your home.

Cocomarine · 21/11/2020 12:17

I bc switched to Brief Mode when Alexa said it “would be nice to know your name?”

You need to take responsibility for the technology that you choose.

chomalungma · 21/11/2020 12:18

@feministbias

You allowed a data mining device into your home- what did you think it would do?
Answer the question on what the date is.

Not 'Alexa, what's the date'
It's Saturday 21st November. Do you want to buy some headphones?

OP posts:
Bluewavescrashing · 21/11/2020 12:18

Alexa is there to harvest your data and target marketing material at you. It's thinly veiled as a tool to make life easier for people but if you believe that, you're a bit gullible tbh.

Youngatheart00 · 21/11/2020 12:18

I really don’t get the attraction with Alexas and similar devices.

chomalungma · 21/11/2020 12:19

I bc switched to Brief Mode when Alexa said it “would be nice to know your name

Grin Alexa, open the door. Sorry, I can't open the door, Chomalungma.

Alexa, open the door.

OP posts:
chomalungma · 21/11/2020 12:22

It's thinly veiled as a tool to make life easier for people but if you believe that, you're a bit gullible tbh

I get that it collects data.

However - I don't expect it to randomly ask me if I want to buy something when I ask it what date it is.

I get it wants me to get Amazon Music when I ask it to play a song it hasn't got.

I get it asks if I want to buy some flour if I need something for a recipe.

I'm happy with that.

But when I ask it what date it is, I might expect it to say do I want a calendar. But not headphones.

OP posts:
StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes · 21/11/2020 12:23

Mine did the same this morning, and it was also headphones yesterday she flashed a notification which asked me to reveiw a book! Unimpressed

chomalungma · 21/11/2020 12:24

Oh - I know why.

We brought some headphones last week.
But now we have headphones, we are not in the market for anymore headphones.

If Alexa was clever, she'd know I was in the market for some speakers.

OP posts:
Ifailed · 21/11/2020 12:25

Oh dear. Did you know they're going to removed the word 'gullible' from the next edition of the OED?

chomalungma · 21/11/2020 12:26

That's another recent thing.

And it's just happened recently and never before.
It was flashing a notification.

Apparently DS watched Top Gear and now Alexa wanted a review of it. So it notified me to give a review.

Maybe some new things are happening

OP posts:
chomalungma · 21/11/2020 12:27

@Ifailed

Oh dear. Did you know they're going to removed the word 'gullible' from the next edition of the OED?
Can you tell me the link between:

Asking the date
Then asking if I wanted to buy some headphones?

OP posts:
shouldhavecalleditoatabix · 21/11/2020 12:30

I just asked Alexa what the date is. She didn't offer me anything. I feel hard done by! She never asks me to buy Amazon music either but I suppose that's because we already have prime and Spotify.

I'm rather fond of Alexa.

chomalungma · 21/11/2020 12:33

@shouldhavecalleditoatabix

I just asked Alexa what the date is. She didn't offer me anything. I feel hard done by! She never asks me to buy Amazon music either but I suppose that's because we already have prime and Spotify.

I'm rather fond of Alexa.

Alexa often asks me to get Amazon Music - usually when I want an album playing.

I am surprised she hasn't gone for the hard sell or pleeing yet.

OP posts:
Wroxie · 21/11/2020 12:45

@Smallsteps88

Alexa has failed on that with me.

You have no idea what money Alexa has already made out of the information it has gathered from you and your home.

This 100%

For years the very people who have worried and fretted about their 'privacy' when it comes to technology are now the very people with an ALWAYS ON microphone in their house, owned by a corporation that is so unbelievably large and all-powerful that no government can, in practice, regulate how they use your information and who they sell it to. Maybe amazon don't care what your sex life sounds like, but if they did care, they would know. All to save you the trouble of looking at a fucking clock or pushing 'play' to hear some music.

UseOfWeapons · 21/11/2020 12:51

@Youngatheart00

I really don’t get the attraction with Alexas and similar devices.
Neither did I, until a hilarious hour at a friend’s house, when she asked Alexa to do a wet fart! An hour of farting later, I’d laughed so much, my face ached. She will try to sell you the ‘Dragon fart expansion pack’....say no.

I still don’t have Alexa as the data mining issu concerns me, but the farting could be useful in a myriad of situations.🙂

Youngatheart00 · 21/11/2020 13:02

@UseOfWeapons that’s hilarious tbf and very much appeals to my childish sense of humour 🤣🤣

TofuCat · 21/11/2020 13:04

I just asked her what the date was and she said by the way she could also give me some tips on healthy eating. I think she just called me fat. Bitch.