by minimus 32 Replies latest jw friends
Amazon is trying to respect the privacy issue
I believe that Amazon is telling you that.
But there are no controls or guarantees.
If they are respecting privacy, how about they promise to pay you $1m if they violate it? How about they support legislation that forces them to do they thing they claim they are doing anyway?
How can you tell when a tech company is lying unless there is independent oversight and inspections?
I bought an echo dot for my mum who has been blind since childhood, It is invaluable to her. She can make phone calls, play music, listen to books, make lists and reminders, all by voice command and no buttons to find or numbers to remember. We love it.
I agree re/ALEXA and don't trust what they say. I try to remember to unplug/plug back in when running out the door or for the workmen to enjoy their tunes. It's a pain - my husband hates it - after I threw it in the garage I brought back into the house - I wasted money on the stupid thing.
Let's be honest, there is no real privacy these days....
I have several Alexa devices. My mother (who has dementia) can still remember to ask her a few questions, and play her music. That, in itself, is priceless.
I have the lights, etc., running through Alexa devices. This enables me to work while caring for my mother, and still be sane. I listen to music, news, and bluetooth my other apps (meditation, etc.) via Alexa.
Meanwhile, my mother and her aides can also listen to the daily text, etc., via Alexa.
The value for me far exceeds worrying about someone listening to my trivial conversations.
So, I am a Alexa fan. Makes my life 200% easier.
If you are happy to have a digital recording of everything ever said beamed out to an offshore mainframe which could potentially be retrieved go ahead and buy one. This device is the beginning of an utopian world which George Orwill tried to warn the world about. You guys on here freed yourselves from a highly controlled religion, don’t replace it with a potentially incriminating device for the blue soldiers who exhort the queens fees.
As far as listening in, I agree with Simon regarding cell phones. If you have a mobile phone, tablet or computer, you already have a device with an ability to listen in just as much as Google Home, Amazon Alexa or the Apple equivalent. There are now light switches, thermostats, microwaves, refrigerators, Sonos speakers, vehicles etc, that come equipped with digital voice assistants built-in.
This device is the beginning of an utopian world which George Orwill tried to warn the world about
Dystopian
I don't like this Big Bro thing going on but hard to live without the cell, I-Pad, computer, etc. Sonos speakers or the service -- WOW. I can live without it and the ALEXA if necessary but why bother. Sounds like all the other devices have the bases covered anyway.
I quite like Alexa, good for weather forecasts and would be good if I listened to popular music. Since I only like unpopular music, she struggles to interpret my choices and compromises by trying to find something from the pop genre which sounds like my requests-- which can be amusing--but not exactly useful. If I bothered to pay the full whack for unlimited choice, she would work well. I haven't got round to it yet
Ever since seeing Hal on the 1968 film Space Odyssey, I wanted an intelligent computer to verbally interact with. Sadly Alexa is no Hal but these are early days. I have no security of information fears.
Not interested in having a spy in my house, using Google is bad enough.
