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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

#431

Post by pnw_hazor »

khelenek wrote: post #284

These comments are lunacy. He's suggesting etiquette if someone puts a Nest recording device (not a thermostat) inside their house purposefully, probably for security purposes. Security cameras have existed for decades and nothing has changed here.

He is saying it, because recording conversations is illegal (criminal) in some states unless all parties consent - and in some states consent must be on the actual recorded content.

Video w/o sound is not an issue unless there is an expectation of privacy (e.g., in a bathroom)

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

#433

Post by Clubber »

nkrisc wrote: post #309
Clubber wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you not aware of the Ed Snowden revelations? I mean the NSA is piped into all these corporate data streams.

I'm very aware. That's kind of my point.

I'm sure selling data to the NSA, federal, state and local governments is very lucrative to these companies and is a primary revenue stream.

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

#434

Post by ahupp »

barneygale wrote: post #379
exclusiv wrote: post #344

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A programmable keypad is nice. I have a Z-wave one which can notify my Smarthings hub which notifies me when it's locked or unlocked. The Nest thermostat allows me to control the heat remotely. These two things are great for rental properties. Guests often forget to lock the door, I have records of when guests or maintenance people are coming or going, I can adjust the heat to 55 when nobody is there which saves a lo…

> The Nest thermostat allows me to control the heat remotely. On a flat you're renting out? That's insanely unethical.

The comment specifically says: "I can adjust the heat to 55 when nobody is there which saves a lot of money and more importantly I can ensure the heat is not turned off (which could cause frozen pipes) which some guests do for some reason."

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

#435

Post by thaumasiotes »

api wrote: post #305
mojuba wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it looks comfortable in the Star Trek universe because it is implied that voice activated stuff is controlled by a super-AI. That is, the AI won't give humans access to the audio. Which in turn means we are going to have a super-AI that can restrict our rights and itself have access to vast amounts of information about us. I.e. Star Trek is a society essentially controlled by the AI, as it will be above us.

I think it looks comfortable in the Star Trek universe because Star Trek portrays a society that is not run by mobsters, warlords, delusional ideologues, and sociopaths. We are still very much savages. Clinical psychopaths and delusional narcissists run our institutions and major decisions are made on the basis of fanatical superstitious ideologies and mindless herd behavior. In short I won't put an Internet connecte…

> Star Trek portrays a society that is not run by mobsters, warlords, delusional ideologues, and sociopaths.

Interestingly, while this is certainly the background assumption of Star Trek, it is much less valid in episodes where the crew must interact with their own government.

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

#436

Post by _davebennett »

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 know I'm gonna be in the minority with this, but what if you really just don't care despite knowing the danger?

I have a Google Home in my bedroom, and it's extremely convenient for controlling my lights. I'm aware of the privacy concerns with such a device, but out of all the things in the world that worries me it's just not far up my list to disregard the convenience. I imagine a lot of consumers might feel this way. Now this would be a different story if something was forced upon me (like the government mandated some device, and I don't have an active choice in having it) but I'm making an active choice to buy this device and use it knowing that it could very well be recording the conversations, sex, whatever else goes on in my bedroom.

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

#437

Post by pmlnr »

mikepurvis wrote: post #340
mey wrote: post #322

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I value privacy, my nest thermostat is the only IoT device in my house that talks to the internet or can be accessed remotely without a VPN. What I find most valuable is it programs itself. Am I cold? Turn it up a bit, hot? Turn it down a bit. Suddenly I have stopped having to adjust it at all. Even as life has changed. It has some nice other features, such as preheating/cooling, telling me how long it will take to g…

To be fair, most of that doesn't require the internet— it would be perfectly possible to build a simple learning thermostat that was offline, or perhaps was only periodically online (eg, dumping a compact data log while it's connected to your laptop for its yearly firmware update). I feel the same way about voice assistants. Recognition can be done locally— playing your playlists or turning the lights on and off shou…

Eons ago Nokia phones were able to learn "voice commands" tied to certain numbers. This was in the dumbphone era.

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

#438

Post by Marsymars »

fauigerzigerk wrote: post #205
nvrspyx wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I always do when this is suggested, I recommend using “!s” for Startpage instead of “!g” for Google. Similar to DDG, Startpage provides results in a privacy respecting way, but it uses Google instead of Bing (and Oath), which DDG uses. There’s a common misconception amongst some that using !g on DDG is private, but it’s just a redirect, so Google can gather information from that search. Using !s as the fallback in…

I don't understand the business model of Startpage. They pay Google for using their search engine. Their revenue comes from non-personalised advertising. So that means either Startpage has higher ad margins than Google or Google is selling services to Startpage below their own search margins or Startpage has some other source of funds to subsidise the search engine.

> or Google is selling services to Startpage below their own search margins

I expect this is the case - it's still better for Google to capture a user at lower margins via Startpage than to lose them to Bing.

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

#439

Post by notus »

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…

It's no different than an iPhone

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

#440

Post by melling »

throwaway2048 wrote: post #399
melling wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He mentions that he does. The thing is everyone has a cellphone, even many kids. Invite half a dozen people over and you’ll get half a dozen cellphones. I have a couple of Amazon Echos, plus iOS devices that occasionally activate Siri for no reason. I love them. My feeling is that I’m willing to live with it for now. Hopefully, a decade from now, voice technology is perfected and more is done on device.

There is never going to come a day when any of these companies give you more control over your devices. Why would they? Thats their entire competitive advantage.

The Pixel 4 does speech to text on device. They do it because it's faster.

Once it becomes a solved problem, there will be better open source devices and more competition. On device will be a checkbox feature.

Not every company makes you the product.

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