Burger King TV Ad Asks, Hoping Google Home Devices Answer

I am and I would. I don't care if a computer is passively listening for a prompt — the computer has no consciousness and it doesn't do anything I'd even notice. I do care if somebody is trying to make my device do something without my OK.

Lot of people are already bringing up various concerns. I hope this is precisely what it does here in HN and outside. Talk about concerns regarding about these devices.

Is there anyway for end user to know what "wake up" keywords are? How do I know it's not listening for keywords like "buy" (example: "You should `buy` milk") and then targeting adds that way?

What happens next time FBI decides it wants google (et. all) to leave its device "always awake" on some person of interest ?

Can a third party somehow compromise the security to change the list of "wake up" word?

Maybe you can add voice recognition along with keyword to make sure it's only responding to authorized people. But even then, seeing how far machine learning has come, is it really a security?

On a side note, do these devices only capture human audible range of signals? Or is there ways to send non-human audible signals with commands and wake word and what not? Dog whistle for alexia or Home .. Alexia whistle?

Edit: typos and clarity

I guess this ruins my get-rich-quick scheme:

1. Publish an album with 1000 short, quiet tracks and a very unique name to all of the online streaming services

2. Buy ads on late-night television with a very clear voice that says "OK Google, play album . Alexa, play album . Hey Siri, play album ."

3. Rack up the fraction-of-a-penny residuals as my songs play to people who've fallen asleep with the television on!

There's a way to prevent this, but I doubt any of the major players will do it:

Allow the owners of the device choose their own "activation words".

Leave the default "branded" activation sentence as-is, but allow the user to customize it as they see fit. This won't happen, of course, because of the whole "branding" thing (like the user is going to forget which service they are using?).

This just hammers another nail into my decision not to get one of these devices; instead, it would probably be easier and better to build my own, using a raspberry pi or something similar for the "front end". I'd probably still have to use one of the big players search engines or such, but I could also hit anything else I wanted to, as well.

I tend to wonder if this is going to be the trend? Those who have or desire more freedom will have to build it themselves, and those who can't or won't - they'll just have to shoulder the burden of not being as free...

There are ways the State could make DIY uneconomical or near-to-impossible (and I don't think the scenario is realistic anyhow) - but if that ever happened - if things ever got to the point of it just being too much - I'll just go offline. I've got more than enough data and junk to keep me amused for the rest of my life. Plus, I don't think I'm alone in that sentiment, either.

Do you think the SWAT team cares if it is the owner who is a terrorist or the owner "associate"?