Alexa and Google Home

WheatenLover said:
Also, I've experienced (with witnesses) Alexa interjecting her opinion about which movie we should watch. Alexa was not in use, and no one said anything that sounded like her name.

I have Alexa for music, but I disconnect it completely between uses.

At this point, I'm also considering getting a burner cell phone for everyone who is not a close personal friend. My personal cell phone will have a new sim card and phone number, with a new name attached to it, and my VPN downloaded to it.

I am practically rabid on privacy issues. Even though I am just like most people - not a criminal. I just don't think the government and a whole bunch of companies should be privy to what I am doing, saying, reading, watching, etc., without my permission.
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You’ll likely be getting someone else’s phone number who had lots of calls and group texts. Another person’s nightmare. They’ve run out of new numbers it seems.
 
Lawrence00 said:
Does anyone use these? So while I am not a secret agent, I don't think I want a 24/7 spy in my man cave.
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I seem to need all of the “help” I can get. I do however forget “her” name at times. So I wrote it down near her. But I love using it to remind me of times I need to take something out of the oven, or to do something. I will ask to play a certain song at times, and how to spell something. I know it gathers data- so since nothing is free- I figure “she’s” earning her keep.
 

Aprilbday12 said:
You’ll likely be getting someone else’s phone number who had lots of calls and group texts. Another person’s nightmare. They’ve run out of new numbers it seems.
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My new phone will take care of that by not letting calls through which aren't in my contacts. I just want a phone for people I know, and a burner for people I do business with and annoyance calls.
 
WheatenLover said:
My new phone will take care of that by not letting calls through which aren't in my contacts. I just want a phone for people I know, and a burner for people I do business with and annoyance calls.
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My AT&T phone reports suspected Spam calls and Unknown numbers, but what I would like better is to prevent them from even ringing, and block them from voice mail. And block all texts except those I authorize in advance.
 
I have several of the cheaper Echo Dot devices, nothing with a screen since they seem kind of useless.

I mostly use my smart bulbs and other devices for remote on/off controllability via voice or pocketable clicky buttons. I also have two thermometers that display temp & hum and can be queried via Alexa. One in the basement helps me keep tabs on how my heating and cooling is doing and whether or not the basement might be getting damp. I also have a hallway night light that tracks with sunrise and sunset.

I have my Echo "Everywhere" group set up. That way "Alexa, play Bossa Nova Everywhere" gets me tunes throughout the house while cleaning.

No camera doorbells or such, though I did buy one camera. It was cheap so I got it to tinker with, but I don't want to carry my phone constantly so it is sort of pointless for me.
 
Echo Mute Button: Does Alexa really stop listening? - We speak IoT

Does the Echo’s microphone button really work?​

Conclusion of this detective work: Electronupdate concludes that once the mute button is pressed and the LED lights up red, the microphone in the Echo Flex is indeed physically disconnected from the power supply.

“Pressing the switch changes the state of the flip-flops and the microphones are either powered or not. The “mute” button seems very real.”

Surely users are happy to hear that!
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birdy said:
Do you think Alexa is really off if you turn it off, not unplugging it? I suspect Alexa is still listening in.
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Yes, even my Andriod listens in spite of me disabling that feature. Facebook not only scours through your browser history without permission, I believe the smartphone app does listen if the app is active.
 


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