Amazon.com introduces ‘Echo Dot’ spying device that monitors everything you say aloud… would you trust one in your home?
by: Daniel Barker
NaturalNews.com
Saturday, April 16, 2016
For just $89.99, you can now purchase a device that allows everything you say to be recorded and uploaded to Amazon’s servers so that it can “be processed in the Cloud.”
That’s right – if you like the idea of your conversations being digitized, analyzed and stored by a large corporation, then the new Echo Dot is the right product for you, especially if you’re on a budget.
The Echo Dot is a smaller and less expensive version of Amazon’s original Echo device, which uses the company’s Alexa voice recognition system to perform a number of tasks, such as programming music playlists, answering questions about the weather or providing information on myriad subjects.
The original Echo is cylinder-shaped, roughly the size of two soda cans stacked on top of one another. The Echo Dot is much smaller and delivers less sound quality, but presumably is just as good at eavesdropping as its larger counterpart.
Alexa-equipped devices are touted as being sort of “personal assistants,” similar to Apple’s Siri app, and can handle a range of commands – meanwhile collecting large amounts of personal information which can be utilized in a number of ways by Amazon (or anyone else who hacks into the system).
From an Amazon FAQ page:
Alexa uses your voice recordings and other information, including from third-party services, to answer your questions, fulfill your requests, and improve your experience and our services. When you set up your Alexa-enabled product or link third-party services with Alexa, Alexa begins processing some information, such as your music playlists. You can also help us improve the voice services by providing feedback within History or by using Voice Training in the Alexa App.
Penetrating the boundary between your home and the outside world
The Rest…HERE
