Technology has
vastly improved throughout the years.
We are seen
constantly using our smart phones, laptops, iPads, smart watches, and many
other electronic products that require high levels of technological processing
and intelligence. We use these smart devices to further connect with the world
– whether that be with distant friends and family members, or with Internet
sources like Google and other types of social media.
According to Jay Samit,
ten years ago, individuals would think that spending five hours on your phone a
day would be insane. However, this makes sense; smart phones did not exist ten
years ago. As the years pass, we began to see the technological advancements
that allowed for smart phones and other smart technology to exist. With time
and further improvements, we will only continue to see more innovative
technology that will allow us to lead a more “comfortable” life.
A newly product that
is evident of this idea is called Amazon’s
Alexa-controlled Echo speaker. Amazon’s new and improved Echo wireless speaker
allows for many advanced abilities. The device first acts as a normal speaker,
however, it also responds to the sound of your voice. The electronic device serves as a smart-home product. Instead of using your smart phone, Alexa can be used and do all the work for you.
 |
| Image: Amazon's Echo Speaker |
With the sole sound of your voice and commands, you can allow Amazon’s Echo speaker to surf the Internet, look certain issues up, play music, shop online, obtain the weather report and much more. Amazon’s voice control system follows your commands when you say its name. The device will listen to you like an actual human being and adhere to your orders.
 |
| Image: Question Marks |
Alexa
serves as a perfect example of new cutting-edge, smart technology that helps to
improve overall comfort and digital-assistance. However, this gets us thinking.
Even though Amazon’s Echo System is high-tech enough to respond to our voices
and automatically find information on the Internet, is the device safe? Does
Alexa spy on us? Does this modern technology infringe upon our privacy?
The Wirecutter
stated that “your Echo… is always listening to you.” Now I do not know about
you, but this sounds extremely creepy. I personally would never want to buy an
Amazon Echo because of this sole reason. I do not want an advanced smart-home product
listening to everything that I have to say. Even though Alexa only focuses on
the “wake” words, which are words that would trigger Alexa to act or speak up, the
product still listens in. These wake words are then stored into the device,
thus keeping a log of interests the user may appeal to. Many people view this
as a major breach in their privacy. Companies can this use this data to produce
advertisements specific to your interests.
 |
| Image: No Privacy |
Clearly, it can be
seen that this cutting-edge technology infringes upon our privacy. Yes, we are
able to use Alexa for our leisure, so that we do not have to use our fingers
and press some buttons on our smart phones, but in reality, how much of this
technology is worth it?
There is a fine line
for which technology can be implemented into our lives. Not only does Alexa
show signs that the device is always listening to you and infringing upon your
privacy, it can also generate security concerns.
According to NBC
news, Alexa can be controlled by anyone’s voice. Alexa is not designed to
only respond to your voice. Instead, it listens and can be controlled by other
people. Therefore, if a burglar or stranger were to enter your house, they could
easily use this device to collect private information.
In addition to the privacy
and security issues, people have been reporting the mischievous acts of Alexa. For
example, on Twitter, many individuals tweeted to express their concern over
Alexa’s random
acts of laughter. Multitudes of people have been complaining as to how
creepy the smart device is being – how it starts talking without it being asked
anything, how it starts randomly laughing, and many more quirky aspects. Although
this act does not impose any specific threat, it still makes many
individuals uncomfortable. It makes us start to wonder whether smart devices are taking over.
There are obviously
perks of owning a voice-automated device, like Alexa. This electronic product listens
to our commands and introduces a new level of total convenience. But the
question we continuously have to ask ourselves is if this smart technology is
worth our privacy rights.
They're so weird. SNL did a skit called Amazon Silver that I highly recommend checking out. There are arguments to be made about technology such as Alexa being a tool, but I think it crosses the line between usefulness and invasiveness. I don't think I would remember to use an Alexa if I had one but I would not be comfortable having one listen to me all the time.
ReplyDeleteI personally have a Google Home set up in my house. This machine is magic but it is also creepy that there is an online log that I can check the records every single thing that I say to it. The machine also sometimes throws fits (random alarms at 2am). It is actually quite unsettling. That is a part of integrating smart technology. What if one day I wake up and my "smart" toaster throws a tantrum and refuse to make my toast? What if my phone stops letting me order pizza because it believes that I should eat more healthy? After all, it is a constantly blurring line between living beings and machines.
ReplyDeleteAs a longtime Alexa sceptic, I agree wholeheartedly with your post. I don't like that Amazon listens to every word that is said around it and am uncomfortable with that data being sent to advertisers. I may have to use this blog post in my ongoing campaign to convince my parents to throw out their Alexa.
ReplyDeleteThat would freak me out so much if it started laughing on its own!!! I don't really get nervous being alone in my house at night, but I sure would be if I heard a creepy laugh as I was trying to fall asleep. I don't think I could sleep for the rest of the night. I think you raised an interesting point with the spying. I don't like the idea of being constantly listened to, but to each their own. I'm sure it does make life easier, but what if one day we're all those people from Wall-E? I think I'll eventually buy one years down the line, but not until they fix that creepy laugh!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'll ever be able to handle a smart home device; it's just such a small amount of convenience at the price of a huge loss of privacy. I worry that one day they might become as ubiquitous as smartphones.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post and agree with what you had to say. With these further advanced technologies that we literally trust with out lives, privacy seems to go further and further from us. It just seems that as we continue to develop technology smarter than us, we are working again ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes think of these smart devices, like Amazon Echo and Google Home, as entry points into the market for artificial intelligence. These devices can obviously only talk to you, but knowing how to comprehend what you say and then responding appropriately is a big step forward for artificial intelligence overall. The entire field of AI is much more complicated than this, but having this kind of device in your home is definitely a step in the right direction and "cutting edge" compared to what we had a few years ago. I think the privacy concerns are outweighed by the benefits that these devices present, but I'm sure that there are many people out there that are very concerned with the privacy and security of these devices.
ReplyDeleteI personally have an Alexa and she drives me crazy. My parents love our Alexa when they’re cooking in the kitchen and she can repeat recipes to them and play music. It’s like any piece of technology, there is a price to pay for convenience and for having a device to do things for you in place of a human. An upside to this though is the fact that consumers can choose whether or not to purchase an Alexa or other type of response system. On the contrary, smart phones are almost a necessity in 2018, and the information they collect as a result feels less consensual or warranted.
ReplyDelete