Alexa, Leave Me Alone Please

Last month, Amazon was subpoenaed by a judge in New Hampshire to hand over data recordings of an Echo Smart Speaker (aka Alexa) that might have been present during a double murder. In this case, it’s hard to argue about the device helping to lock up a potential double murderer, however, what does this mean in the larger, grand scheme of things? We’ll break that down here.

Alexa, Are You Listening?

The short answer? An unequivocal, yes. At this point I think it’s safe to assume that all of the technology we surround ourselves with, Echo, Fitbit, cellphones, yes even pacemakers can be constantly listening, analyzing and collecting data on what we say and do. Feel how you may about that, but for someone like me, in my line of work, it’s troubling. Yes there are some benefits to this. I mean let’s be real, how nice is it to be talking to your significant other about what he/she wants for the holidays and all of a sudden you see advertisements for similar products online? I’ve had ads pop up online for groceries I’ve talked about needing; not typed, but verbally spoken out loud. That’s not a coincidence, so it’s safe to say “they” are always listening.

The Reality

In the story above, with a brutal double homicide in New Hampshire, it’s a good thing these recordings were there to help get the truth and put a murderer in prison. However, what happens with everyday conversations with you, the “average Joe/Jane”? Sure, that content can be/is sold to advertisers for marketing purposes (for companies like Google, that’s how they makes money), but don’t forget about another story earlier this year, where an Echo recorded a conversation and then SENT that conversation to “colleagues”. The reality at this point is that you have to watch your back and watch what you say around technology. What if that conversation was a business deal involving valuable trade secrets that have now been sent to other people? What could that cost you? What if it recorded some of your most private moments and had them stored for no purpose? What if that could be used as leverage against you at some point by bad actors? What if the company that stores this data was hacked and who knows then who gets a hold of it?

Professional Advice

I’m not saying any of these scenarios above are highly likely. Chances are, most of us will continue to live our day to day lives normally and never be under extreme threat from this data being exposed. I always get asked, almost mocked, "who even cares?" when it comes to communications security but why take the risk when you have so much to lose? In my line of work, we work for some of the world’s top 1%, Fortune 500 companies and their executives in trying to make sure their homes, offices, and meeting rooms are safe and secure from bugged and/or compromised communications. When doing one of these TSCM (Technical Surveillance Counter Measures) sweeps, we look for any potentially compromising devices and make sure our client is made aware of them and the possibilities, followed up by removing said devices if need be. If you are concerned about these possibilities, our advice is simple, why take the risk? Ask the professionals.

As always, if YOU are suspicious, get the proof you need. Call for a consultation and assessment, 800-860-6068 or visit us online at www.areyoususpcious.com.