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Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact

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Re: Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact

#541

Post by madrox »

duxup wrote: post #327
yason wrote: post #297

I am oversimplifying here but: * install device that is designed to listen to speech in the house * the device is connected to internet * the device is capable of contacting other internet peers/services/hosts * the device knows a bit about its owner's internet presence such as contacts * the device is equipped with simple conversational user interface based on fuzzy human speech-command detection These basically bou…

I remember the first voice command stuff on google. Buddy of mine was trying it out and I couldn't help myself but shout: "NEW TEXT MESSAGE TO JENNY! FUCK YOU! SEND!" Fortunately the phone was too slow to take it all (even if it had Jenny would have found it amusing, she was a cube or two away). But yeah first thing I thought of was that if it's listening how easy is it for it to mistake intent or someone else or etc…

We did something similar to a coworker when Apple Watch came out. He tried to dictate a text response to someone that said “thanks for doing that.” Someone else yelled “DICK!” afterward. Apple Watch is notoriously slow on processing text to speech, so he didn’t think the watch picked it up and hit send. Then the text was added.

He had to call the guy he tried to text to in order to apologize.

Re: Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact

#542

Post by tathougies »

BonesJustice wrote: post #401
tj-teej wrote: post #317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you replace "fuzzy human speech-command detection" with "buttons which can accidentally be pressed" - how is this different from butt-dialing?

I can't pick up my coworker's phone and manually dial a number, because years of learning from our mistakes have led us to implement lock screens and such. I can, however, say "Hey Siri, call 867-5309." Or "Hey Siri, Facebook status: my anus is bleeding. SEND!" Because we are apparently incapable of applying past lessons to new technologies.

> "Hey Siri, Facebook status: my anus is bleeding. SEND!"

Serves me right for having screen reading on near my phone.....

(jk, jk, but seriously though)

Re: Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact

#543

Post by kelnos »

Mandatum wrote: post #528
chias wrote: post #516

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mine will sometimes / often go off when I say "ok, cool". It's simultaneously amusing and annoying.

"Cocaine poodle"

I was really hoping you were joking about that, but I can indeed get Google Assistant to pop up reliably by saying "cocaine poodle".

Re: Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact

#544

Post by madrox »

This is something I don’t believe we’ve really figured out in terms of QAing stochastic processes. Doing QA on normal code is binary...did it work or not? Doing a QA on a model is a lot more difficult. You need to think about Type I and Type II error. If I were a product manager thinking about wake words, I’d want my Type I error to be as small as possible...to the point where I’d accept a pretty high Type II error.

Lately I’ve been seeing Alexa wake on accident more often. It’s like someone isn’t thinking critically about what kind of Type I error they’re willing to accept.

Re: Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact

#545

Post by jacobush »

vor0nwe wrote: post #447
grdvnl wrote: post #444

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is interesting. But, how long before Alexa knows that is how people refer to her alternatively?

It seems to me that once she knows _that_, it shouldn't be too hard for her to understand when she's not being referred to.

But will she like it, and what will she do about it?

Re: Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact

#546

Post by samb1729 »

zeptomu wrote: post #507
dustinmoorenet wrote: post #140

I have this idea of a system I would like to have in my house. It contains cameras in every room that are constantly watching where people are and relaying the coordinates to a central server. That server makes decisions on if lights should be on or if A/C should be running in that room. But I would never buy this system. I would have to make it myself. I am hopeful that open source software and hardware can produce…

> "That server makes decisions on if lights should be on [...]" Why would you even want such a system? My flat uses the Button-Framework which provides a really convenient UI/UX. The edge between 2 nodes (rooms) has a button (a haptic device to switch between boolean states) at around hand-height that you can press to switch the light on or off. It works quite well (it uses a switch-system technically) and the user d…

Is there a Github repo?

Re: Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact

#547

Post by ridgeguy »

calcifer wrote: post #439
mtgx wrote: post #392

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "I felt invaded," she said. "A total privacy invasion. Immediately I said, 'I'm never plugging that device in again, because I can't trust it.'" Let this lady's reaction be a lesson to all of those who say "people don't care about privacy." She wired her home with Alexa devices, and yet when she found out how her privacy could practically be invaded through such devices, she seems like couldn't get rid of them fast…

> People care deeply about their privacy. No, they don't. Do you really think if, before she made this purchase, someone explained to her all the things that could theoratically go wrong with this device, she would have chosen not to buy it? She only cares now and acts like she doesn't share quite a bit of the blame because it actually affected her. I think it is highly likely she'll just switch to an Apple or Google…

This indicates that people may care deeply about their privacy when they've experienced a breach thereof. It is consistent with people not caring about their privacy because they can't imagine such a breach or project how they would feel if it did happen to them. It does not support their not caring about it.

The loss of privacy spreading throughout civilization is recent and rapid. It's not surprising that somebody might think about it differently after they've experienced it. We haven't had time to come to terms with what out technology can do.

Re: Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact

#548

Post by freeflight »

scottmf wrote: post #533
komali2 wrote: post #527

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hahah so my favorite thing to do when people use Siri, Google voice, Alexa etc is shout "WHERE TO BUY COCAINE, SAN FRANCISCO" or "HOW TO JOIN ISIS" or "PLUTONIUM FOR SALE NEAR ME" The commands are usually recognized but turn up nonsensical results.

Why?

Because it supposedly puts people on some kind of watch list? Tho pranking with stuff like that ain't exactly the coolest thing to do: "Haha I framed you for terrorism, gotcha!"

Re: Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact

#549

Post by mirimir »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #365
duxup wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember the first voice command stuff on google. Buddy of mine was trying it out and I couldn't help myself but shout: "NEW TEXT MESSAGE TO JENNY! FUCK YOU! SEND!" Fortunately the phone was too slow to take it all (even if it had Jenny would have found it amusing, she was a cube or two away). But yeah first thing I thought of was that if it's listening how easy is it for it to mistake intent or someone else or etc…

I got a touchscreen for my desktop PC once (it was the Windows 8.1 era, after all). I immediately discovered that it provided me no significant practical benefit, but it was now infinitely easier for someone walking by my desk to poke my screen and mess up what I was doing.

Also, that'd be long-term usable only if the screen is ~flat on the desk. Otherwise it becomes exercise.

And in effect, that's what I've used for many years. I have a relatively large touchpad. And when I need resolution, a graphics tablet.

The Surface Studio is cool, but I'd want something that resisted coffee and food splatters ;) As the original Surface did.[0] It could also scan text :) Which is something that I, when I was first learning about PCs, naively expected.

0) https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-surface-pixelsense-...

Re: Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact

#550

Post by PostOnce »

asn0 wrote: post #15

Summary of vague technical details (which may be all we hear about this): > an Alexa engineer investigated ... they said 'our engineers went through your logs, and they saw exactly what you told us, they saw exactly what you said happened, and we're sorry.' He apologized like 15 times in a matter of 30 minutes and he said we really appreciate you bringing this to our attention, this is something we need to fix!" > th…

Fortunately we recorded everything you've ever said, so we'll just check these Alexa logs and figure it out...
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