“Smart” homes are becoming the norm in the United States. Devices that were novel just a few years ago (such as the Nest thermostat) are now commonplace tools. Smart technology exists in refrigerators, thermostats, vacuum cleaners, vehicles, phones, televisions, and other devices that easily communicate with other “smart” devices. These devices collect personal information and adapt to our habits and needs, and other devices collect this data, store, and analyze the information collected.
As we become more reliant on these devices, we voluntarily give them more information – often with unintended consequences. Police are seeking warrants to access the data on these devices, companies are using the information collected to target-market, and the information may be used (or hacked) for a myriad of other reasons. One set of devices used in the home are “Intelligent Personal Assistants” such as the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple’s ‘Siri’. People need to be aware of how these smart machines store and use information.
What Is an Intelligent Personal Assistant?
Intelligent Personal Assistants are computers equipped with voice-recognition software that take verbal commands to answer questions, order food, play music, or command other connected devices within the home. Their user-friendly setup and usability make these smart technologies easy to integrate into our lives.
What Information Do They Collect?
While these devices are easy to use, they constantly collect information about the user, regardless of the user’s desire of privacy. During setup, Intelligent Personal Assistants obtain the user’s profile information from their account with their parent company and immediately begin collecting information.
The microphones on Intelligent Personal Assistants are always on (unless turned off manually). While Amazon states the Echo does not record any audio until the keyword “Alexa’ or another “wake” word is picked up, the actual recording and storing of information picked up by the microphone is unknown.
Amazon states Alexa’s microphone does not record or store anything prior to the wake word being said, but after Alexa hears the wake word, the device records the user’s request and stores it online. Users can log into their account and review, edit, or delete their saved requests.
How Is a User’s Information Used?
Amazon stores recordings on their servers and states that they are used to “enhance” the user’s customer experience. This means that Amazon uses algorithms to determine the user’s future purchases, likes, and interests so they can target-market the user with products the user is likely to purchase.
All of your searches, requests, and questions made through Intelligent Personal Assistants are saved, and Amazon uses its software to target-market to your specific preferences and tastes. While this can be useful to speed up future purchase transactions, it can also create a host of problems. For instance, issues may arise when there are multiple users on a single device, when a user wishes to query an embarrassing topic, when inadvertent recordings are made, or when the device interrupts a conversation because the microphone picked up a false wake word.
How Your Information Can Be Used Against You
Intelligent Personal Assistants’ novelty and functionality may end up biting the user in unexpected ways. In a recent criminal case, authorities sought a warrant to force Amazon to reveal an individual’s Alexa searches when a suspected murder occurred in a home. In the near future, it is likely that law enforcement and parties in civil suits will seek to use data on these devices in court proceedings. This information may include the actual searches, frequency of requests, audio recordings, and date and times of specific uses of these Intelligent Personal Assistants.
Although useful, when these new technologies are always listening, they are simultaneously collecting information that can be useful to - and to make against - the user.
Technology is advancing quickly. We may find the value in the service Intelligent Personal Assistants provide, but they may also come at a significant hidden cost for users who take the technology for granted.