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March 7, 2017

Ear Witness

earwitness.jpg

Police seek Amazon Echo data in murder case (updated)
Amazon declined to give police any of the information that the Echo logged on its servers, but it did hand over Bates' account details and purchases. Police say they were able to pull data off of the speaker, but it's unclear what info they were able to access. Due to the so-called always on nature of the connected device, the authorities are after any audio the speaker may have picked up that night. Sure, the Echo is activated by certain words, but it's not uncommon for the IoT gadget to be alerted to listen by accident.

Posted by gerardvanderleun at March 7, 2017 2:30 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

Your Say

"...any audio the speaker may have picked up..."
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A duplex speaker?
That is, a speaker that is also a microphone, at the same time?

Prolly wouldn't let that thing come into my house.

I prefer the gentle nature of analog.

Posted by: ghostsniper at March 7, 2017 6:42 PM

My iPad mini acts weirdly, sometimes. It will just turn itself (SIRI) on. I can't figure out why. I never use SIRI, but I hear it turn on, listen, and then ask something, and then turn back off.

Posted by: Jewel at March 7, 2017 9:21 PM

It's programmed to make a sound that makes you think it turned itself off.

My LG android phone pairs with the neighbors HP printer across the road, about 900' away. That printer is not plugged into a wifi or internet or even a computer, just the wall.

Posted by: ghostsniper at March 8, 2017 4:48 AM

If you are keeping up to date, any device that connects to the Internet can and is used to spy on the owner of said device.
Wikileaks turned out this data on the NSA and CIA abilities to use these devices including your computer, refrigerator, TV, and newer cars to listen in and in some cases view what is going on around the device. You think it is off, Fooled you.
The concept of privacy no longer exists.

Yup, I have my old flip phone, no iPhone BS, no cameras on computers and don't talk to the beer in the fridge.

Posted by: Vermont Woodchuck at March 8, 2017 7:44 AM

>> a speaker that is also a microphone, at the same time?

The Echo has an array of 7 microphones, separate from the speaker.

It's a handy gadget, but if I were discussing anything of interest to someone else, I'd unplug it or go in another room.

Posted by: SteveS at March 8, 2017 9:31 AM

One more piece of technology meant to steal more of your time than it's worth.

I wish I still had my first cellphone, a Sony, bought in 1994. Not much bigger than the shitty LG dumb phone I have now that supposedly does everything but make proper phone calls but I'm not convinced.

Posted by: ghostsniper at March 8, 2017 10:14 AM

I never thought in the 1960's that we would all grow up to be "Agent 6".

Posted by: RM at March 8, 2017 3:22 PM

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