Is Someone Listening?

With Facebook in the spotlight because it had allowed Cambridge Analytica to use their data base to target individuals during the election. You might have read about it but not their finest hour, we must. Remember the old saying, nothing is for nothing. Facebook make its money out of advertising and they have been targeting us with what they consider relevant advert for years. We do not pay for Facebook, actually we do, we have given consent to FB to use our personal information and they seek that information on through their targeted advertising. 

Cambridge Analytica developed an app (application) to target individuals. Not that clever and really Analytica is not a word. Analytics is, but I suppose no one saw the typo when they licensed their name and so they are stuck with it.

Amazon Echo - Google Home - Apple Home Pod

This rambling brings me onto our home smart systems. Amazon Echo, Apple Home Pod and Google Home. We have as yet not bought one of these devises yet, that just means we are thinking about it. 

My questions is; Are these companies all storing what we talk about in our home, is it eavesdropping on our conversations? For Alexa to hear you when you say 'Alexa play my Neil Diamond album, Hot August Night' she has to have been listening all the time. 

Stands to reason when you think about it. Makes me wonder what they are doing with all that data about us? 

I know they probably ignore me rambling on about fat people or the utter morons who run our council or for that matter the country, heard it all before but when I discuss something private with she who must be obeyed, hopefully it is just that, a private conversation. I have turned 'Hey Siri' off on my iPhone and iPad and not enabled it on my computer, just irritated me when they never understand what I am saying. Also I tend to use the expression ' hey seriously' and Siri would wake up. I suppose it must be my accent. 

I did ask Amazon what they do with our data. They assured me all my data is stored in a secure server and only I can access it. Also you can go into your settings and delete large chucks of data if you are worried about it. They also assured me they do not use this data at all.  Apple and Google do not have that feature yet. They claim not to store your data but will also point out that their devise learns from you and can anticipate what you need. Now how would it do that if it was not storing my data and analysing everything I say?

Funny that, I recently bought a 8" Amazon Fire tablet for testing a clients application and all my web pages after that showed me different Amazon Fire tablet, why? I had already bought one and do not want to know that they are now cheaper or a new model is out, go away. Do not use my data! What rubbish, of course they do, so if you own a Alexa, Hey Siri or Google thing, watch what you say. Rule of thumb, if you can not say it in front of the children, do not say it at all, well maybe softly in the bedroom.