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Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

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Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#141

Post by irishloop »

I know it puts me in the minority, but I honestly do not care that much. It's obfuscation by volume.

If Google wants to hear me and my roommate argue about Red Dead Redemption online or the new Bill Burr comedy special, good luck with that.

When I worked in IT, people always used to say oh you can read my emails? Nobody wants to read about your boring-ass life.

My understanding is they are using our speech to create better speech-recognition and it shows. I have much better luck with OK Google than Siri. I willingly give up my privacy for a superior product because most of my conversations are inane.

And if I ever intend to murder anyone, I will turn off Alexa.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#142

Post by greggman2 »

saluki wrote: post #115

I was a huge Google Fan but this is becoming lunacy. I understood trading some data and privacy for great search results, maps and free quality email. But people willingly bringing always on listening devices in to their homes (beyond what smartphones are already capable of) I just can't comprehend it. Why would people voluntarily do this in exchange for being able to ask for weather, play a playlist, add a todo and…

I hate not having privacy but I don't understand singling Google out here. Siri is listening (both on phones and on Apple' homepod), Alexa is listening, Cortana is listening, ...

I actually am less worried about those (since I turn them off) than I do about Netflix/Amazon knowing every movie I watch. Amazon knowing every product I order. My Credit Card and Bank company knowing every business I transact with. My Mac and PC spying on what I do with them (i think that's more Windows than Mac). My PC/iPhone/Android/Rift knowing every app I run. My ISP knowing all the websites I visit or DNS lookups I make etc... I could go on and on but I don't see how Google sticks out here.

It's a much bigger problem.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#143

Post by falcolas »

irishloop wrote: post #141

I know it puts me in the minority, but I honestly do not care that much. It's obfuscation by volume. If Google wants to hear me and my roommate argue about Red Dead Redemption online or the new Bill Burr comedy special, good luck with that. When I worked in IT, people always used to say oh you can read my emails? Nobody wants to read about your boring-ass life. My understanding is they are using our speech to create…

This is simply a "I have nothing to hide" argument, and the rebuttals to this have been done frequently and better than I can manage.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#144

Post by saluki »

tantalor wrote: post #129
saluki wrote: post #115

I was a huge Google Fan but this is becoming lunacy. I understood trading some data and privacy for great search results, maps and free quality email. But people willingly bringing always on listening devices in to their homes (beyond what smartphones are already capable of) I just can't comprehend it. Why would people voluntarily do this in exchange for being able to ask for weather, play a playlist, add a todo and…

Do you own a cell phone?

of course I do, it's alluded to in my comment: "(beyond what smartphones are already capable of)"

I agree, smart phones provide the same surveillance capabilities of 'smart' speakers and more.

But supposedly phones aren't always on and listening to all your audio like the 'smart' speakers.

This might just be a divide in society, some people accept surveillance as not an issue and are fine with it.

Would you place a similar 'smart' speaker device in your home if the government suddenly required it?

I just feel a surveillance state is detrimental to freedom and democracy, the freedom we have in the states is not common.

If you look back in history and even around the world today it's pretty rare. I just want to make sure we aren't setting ourselves up to weaken it or even lose it.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#145

Post by profmonocle »

XJ6 wrote: post #12
LudwigNagasena wrote: post #2

>"Gosh, I haven't thought about this before in quite this way," Osterloh said. "It's quite important for all these technologies to think about all users... we have to consider all stakeholders that might be in proximity." How much do they not care about privacy that a chief exec with an army of lawyers and advisors "haven't thought about this before"?

All "big tech" are at it, I tried to go to "My Pictures" the other day and microsoft asked me to run my pictures through facial recognition. They said that by consenting I was asserting I had the consent of anyone who appeared in any of my photos or might appear in future which is insane to ask of anyone, no-one can really give that third party consent. Then when I refused they showed me a nag screen which didn't hav…

> They said that by consenting I was asserting I had the consent of anyone who appeared in any of my photos

Does it let you specifically choose which photos to analyze, or does it scan your whole library?

If it's the former, facial recognition doesn't sound very useful if I have to go through each of my photos and figure out who's in them beforehand.

And if it's the latter, tracking down the strangers in the background of my 2006 vacation photos sounds time-consuming.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#146

Post by SamBam »

greggman2 wrote: post #142
saluki wrote: post #115

I was a huge Google Fan but this is becoming lunacy. I understood trading some data and privacy for great search results, maps and free quality email. But people willingly bringing always on listening devices in to their homes (beyond what smartphones are already capable of) I just can't comprehend it. Why would people voluntarily do this in exchange for being able to ask for weather, play a playlist, add a todo and…

I hate not having privacy but I don't understand singling Google out here. Siri is listening (both on phones and on Apple' homepod), Alexa is listening, Cortana is listening, ... I actually am less worried about those (since I turn them off) than I do about Netflix/Amazon knowing every movie I watch. Amazon knowing every product I order. My Credit Card and Bank company knowing every business I transact with. My Mac a…

I don't see anything in the parent comment that says this is a Google-only issue.

Also, the Netflix and Amazon examples don't seem to be in the same category, to me. Every time you interact with Netflix and Amazon, you are doing so deliberately. You are choosing exactly what to give them. You can easily pick another service.

Always-on listening devices, on the other hand, are taking data that you did not choose to give them, and other people's data as well. That's the point in the headline of this article. I would never need to tell guests "If you order something from Amazon, they'll know you ordered it," but apparently I might need to tell them to watch their mouths in my house. There's a big difference.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#148

Post by PeterBarrett »

Having read the short article it's pretty clear that he was simply saying that if you have an indoor nest camera it would be proper etiquette to tell your guests that they are being recorded on your device. From how I read it, he wasn't saying to let your guests know that Nest/Google might be listening.

Personally I'd never have one of these devices in my house but I would appreciate it if my friends gave me a heads up if I was in their house with one.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#149

Post by saluki »

greggman2 wrote: post #142
saluki wrote: post #115

I was a huge Google Fan but this is becoming lunacy. I understood trading some data and privacy for great search results, maps and free quality email. But people willingly bringing always on listening devices in to their homes (beyond what smartphones are already capable of) I just can't comprehend it. Why would people voluntarily do this in exchange for being able to ask for weather, play a playlist, add a todo and…

I hate not having privacy but I don't understand singling Google out here. Siri is listening (both on phones and on Apple' homepod), Alexa is listening, Cortana is listening, ... I actually am less worried about those (since I turn them off) than I do about Netflix/Amazon knowing every movie I watch. Amazon knowing every product I order. My Credit Card and Bank company knowing every business I transact with. My Mac a…

y, I agree it's not just Google.

I think allowing any company or government having an open mic/'smart' speaker, essentially bugging your own home/business is just a bad idea.

"I actually am less worried about those (since I turn them off)" - are you sure they are off, had to ask.

I'm not as worried about Netflix/Amazon knowing every movie I watch, product I order or am interested in.

I'm more worried about private conversations and communications being monitored as it applies to freedom of ideas, diverse political movements, freedom to vote and even freedom of religion.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#150

Post by streb-lo »

saluki wrote: post #144
tantalor wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you own a cell phone?

of course I do, it's alluded to in my comment: "(beyond what smartphones are already capable of)" I agree, smart phones provide the same surveillance capabilities of 'smart' speakers and more. But supposedly phones aren't always on and listening to all your audio like the 'smart' speakers. This might just be a divide in society, some people accept surveillance as not an issue and are fine with it. Would you place a s…

> But supposedly phones aren't always on and listening to all your audio like the 'smart' speakers.

New phones are.

Also, AFAIK, Alexa et al. are only sending traffic home after the wake word is heard. I believe this has been confirmed via wireshark.

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