Amazon Alexa Will Now Spy on Your Text Messages Too if you Want

[FrgMstr]

Amazon is telling us that you can now set up your Alexa-enable devices to send texts using your Android cell phone. Sorry iPhone users, no spying for you...sure. Once set up all you have to say is, "Send an SMS to the NSA."

Check out the video.

The optional Send SMS feature allows you to ask Alexa to send SMS messages using your Alexa enabled devices. Alexa sends the SMS messages using your mobile phone. Carrier charges may apply. The feature is only available for customers with Android phones ( v5.0 and higher) .

 

[vegeta535]

And most people are accepting this with out questions.

 

[Madoc]

Big Brother is Listening. (Or would this be Big Sister?)

 

[Rahh]

I really don't get the security concern. You all realize that they can get this information from your carrier also? Anyone that has a problem with using Google Home or Amazon's Alexa better have a problem with their smartphone also. Same difference and they have been collecting this kind of data for years already.

 

[SvenBent]

I really don't get the security concern. You all realize that they can get this information from your carrier also? Anyone that has a problem with using Google Home or Amazon's Alexa better have a problem with their smartphone also. Same difference and they have been collecting this kind of data for years already.

On my phone I can (and have) set up encryption though. i am unsure if Amazon/google devices support the same.
But you are on point that phones also posses a spying device.

 

[SomeoneElse]

I really don't get the security concern. You all realize that they can get this information from your carrier also? Anyone that has a problem with using Google Home or Amazon's Alexa better have a problem with their smartphone also. Same difference and they have been collecting this kind of data for years already.

I realize this argument but to that concern I'm not ADDING to my privacy issue if i choose to not put this in my house or upgrade the capability. Then again why do I even care if they want to listen because I have nothing to hide.

 

[Jagger100]

And most people are accepting this with out questions.

And its real interesting how your phone carrier delivers you messages without managing to peak at all. Your Apple/Android phone puts them on your display without peaking at all, either. Amazon is at best the 3rd person with an opportunity to snoop. I highly doubt they are only the 3rd party if you add them.

 

[Spidey329]

On my phone I can (and have) set up encryption though. i am unsure if Amazon/google devices support the same.
But you are on point that phones also posses a spying device.

If someone told J. Edgar Hoover in the 60's that someday citizens would carry around location trackers that also have microphones and cameras, he would have wet himself in excitement.

 

[kju1]

If someone told J. Edgar Hoover in the 60's that someday citizens would carry around location trackers that also have microphones and cameras, he would have wet himself in excitement.

Naw he probably wouldve blown a load in his pants...

 

[DoubleTap]

The real problem with voice controlled AI platforms is the nonexistent interface security and the elevated purchase and communication abilities.

/Goes to friends house (or ex / enemy / child hood bully house)

Alexa... SMS Boss "[use your horrible imagination]"

Confirm

You might even be able to do it from outside the house with PA system...

 

[farscapesg1]

The real problem with voice controlled AI platforms is the nonexistent interface security and the elevated purchase and communication abilities.

/Goes to friends house (or ex / enemy / child hood bully house)

Alexa... SMS Boss "[use your horrible imagination]"

Confirm

You might even be able to do it from outside the house with PA system...

I agree with this and it doesn't even have to be something bad. There needs to be some additional confirmation ("Computer, initiate self destruct", "Confirmation code?") for a lot of things. Heck, even for simple things it gets annoying.

For example, we got a couple Echos for Christmas and I just replaced our dumb thermostats with Ecobee4's. We also got one TPLink smart switch with one of the Echos, so we connected a lamp in the living room just for testing. Anytime someone tells Alexa to turn the lamp on, my youngest thinks it is hilarious to tell Alexa to turn it off. Even if she is upstairs, she will whisper into the Ecobee to turn off the lamp. There needs to be a lockout option, say 5 minutes, from turning it on to being able to use Alexa to turn it off....

As for the texting.. don't see myself using that. Voice AI isn't exactly the greatest, I don't even use voice to text on my phone because it screws up the translation 75% of the time.

 

[DoubleTap]

I agree with this and it doesn't even have to be something bad. There needs to be some additional confirmation ("Computer, initiate self destruct", "Confirmation code?") for a lot of things. Heck, even for simple things it gets annoying.

For example, we got a couple Echos for Christmas and I just replaced our dumb thermostats with Ecobee4's. We also got one TPLink smart switch with one of the Echos, so we connected a lamp in the living room just for testing. Anytime someone tells Alexa to turn the lamp on, my youngest thinks it is hilarious to tell Alexa to turn it off. Even if she is upstairs, she will whisper into the Ecobee to turn off the lamp. There needs to be a lockout option, say 5 minutes, from turning it on to being able to use Alexa to turn it off....

As for the texting.. don't see myself using that. Voice AI isn't exactly the greatest, I don't even use voice to text on my phone because it screws up the translation 75% of the time.

How are you supposed to securely enter a verbal PIN code?

All of this reminds me of how people have been saying we were going to lose the mouse and keyboard for the last 20 years and just go with touch or some other form of stupid.

No - AI, verbal, touch - it all has it's place but it's important to recognize the limitations of each type of interface.

Voice is the worst for security - it's simply too easy to make a high resolution recording of a human voice or for that matter, to use software to reassemble phonemes and construct new speech in your voice.

 

[WhoMe]

How are you supposed to securely enter a verbal PIN code?

Well at least it would keep those ads coming out of your TV from ordering things. Personally I'll wait until it's Star Trek secure with a computer that is 100% infallible (which they of course didn't actually have even in Star Trek).

 

[DoubleTap]

Well at least it would keep those ads coming out of your TV from ordering things. Personally I'll wait until it's Star Trek secure with a computer that is 100% infallible (which they of course didn't actually have even in Star Trek).

That would help against random recorded attacks.

I think what these need is some sort of additional hidden signal response protocol:

Alexa either turns colors or turns your lightbulbs to different colors in sequence (or texts you a color bar sequence?) and you have to call back either the color sequence or (too complex for most people) a code book word for each color - so if it flashes pink, green, blue you have to say "flamingo, snake, whale" (predetermined) or words that begin with the same letter as the colors like "pie, golf, boxer".

It's basically a captcha but it's designed to defeat both automated attacks as well as casual eaves dropping attacks.

 

[WhoMe]

That would help against random recorded attacks.

I think what these need is some sort of additional hidden signal response protocol:

Alexa either turns colors or turns your lightbulbs to different colors in sequence (or texts you a color bar sequence?) and you have to call back either the color sequence or (too complex for most people) a code book word for each color - so if it flashes pink, green, blue you have to say "flamingo, snake, whale" (predetermined) or words that begin with the same letter as the colors like "pie, golf, boxer".

It's basically a captcha but it's designed to defeat both automated attacks as well as casual eaves dropping attacks.

Just don't try while drinking .