Google to pay $68 million over allegations its voice assistant eavesdropped on users

hollydolly said:
what I want to know is how did they know?... I mean all of us could be being recorded... if a few are then the likelihood is that we all are... so how do we know to be able to sue ? :unsure:
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This may not answer your question directly, but it’s a good example. About a year ago, I was at my neighbor’s house, and during a conversation about music I mentioned a discussion I’d had at work about Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water.” My colleague hadn’t realized the song recounts a real event, the 1971 fire that destroyed the recording studio at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland during a Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention concert.

The very next day, my neighbor opened Facebook and found an article about that exact incident waiting in his feed. Considering the fire happened over fifty years ago, the timing felt a little too perfect to chalk up to coincidence. And, of course, he has a Siri device in his house.
 

Rich said:
This may not answer your question directly, but it’s a good example. About a year ago, I was at my neighbor’s house, and during a conversation about music I mentioned a discussion I’d had at work about Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water.” My colleague hadn’t realized the song recounts a real event, the 1971 fire that destroyed the recording studio at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland during a Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention concert.

The very next day, my neighbor opened Facebook and found an article about that exact incident waiting in his feed. Considering the fire happened over fifty years ago, the timing felt a little too perfect to chalk up to coincidence. And, of course, he has a Siri device in his house.
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yes that's too weird to be co-incidental. I agree

I have to say I've often said something and soon after it's come up on the computer.. and I've just dismissed it as co-incidence..or being tracked on the internet.. but I must pay more attention in future.. because I have Siri... I have Aexa.. I have google home nest... so I'm pretty much surrounded around the house by AI

I just asked Siri... if it listens to what I say even if I don't use the wake word.. and it said... ''I didn't get that, could you try again''.. and regardless of the 3 different ways I asked the question.. it's response was the same ! :unsure:
 
hollydolly said:
yes that's too weird to be co-incidental. I agree

I have to say I've often said something and soon after it's come up on the computer.. and I've just dismissed it as co-incidence..or being tracked on the internet.. but I must pay more attention in future.. because I have Siri... I have Aexa.. I have google home nest... so I'm pretty much surrounded around the house by AI

I just asked Siri... if it listens to what I say even if I don't use the wake word.. and it said... ''I didn't get that, could you try again''.. and regardless of the 3 different ways I asked the question.. it's response was the same ! :unsure:
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I suspect you're under 24 hour surveillance. Be careful what you say about your fellow Senior Forum Members, a few of us may be listening 😬🤣
 

I ditched Alexa when it was turned off, yet recommended a couple of Harry Potter movies for my ex and I to watch. I already knew Alexa had a problem. My mother could hear, through her Alexa, her neighbor's conversations.

Yet when these things happened, every single person I mentioned it to thought it was my fault (I left Alexa on and didn't realize it.)

Then one of my Kindles would update itself and no longer be on airplane mode for no reason. I keep my Kindles on airplane mode at all times. One Kindle is registered. I take it off airplane mode when I want to download something to it (infrequent). It annoys me to no end when people say I just forgot that I left my Kindle on airplane mode. No, I did not.

Then there's my phone. The little darling updates itself even when it is off. I mean stone cold off. Problem ensue after each update. Latest problem was I could not answer my phone. Then something happened, since nothing worked to fix it, and suddenly I can answer it.

The thing is, I am all about privacy and security. My nephew is in cyber security and he was surprised that we use many of the same tools. He has everything from ProtonVPN to guard dogs, and everything in between. Anyway, no else thinks it is necessary. I use a Linux computer because I do not trust Microsoft (which is a shame because I like it). My email and many other apps are from Proton VPN. I have all sorts of programs and services I subscribe to so that my security and privacy are preserved to the extent possible for me to do so.

I do not use Google or most social media sites. Again, I would prefer to, but don't trust them. I look at forums like these as being social media, especially since people who are not members can read everything on the sites. I just decided that I don't care. What are they going to do to me? Dox me? I don't care. If my life were exciting (international spy, jewel thief, assassin, Interpol investigator), then I would care.

I do ask a couple of my friends who have FB to look up things for me when I am investigating people. FB requires several photos before it will let a person sign up, so I am really, really not interested. Database: Facial Recognition. Really, I should not care about facial recognition, but what if one day I do become a spy? No one pays much attention to old ladies -- I'd be perfect for the job!

There is something ICE is using to get into people's phones. I read about it the other day. Where, IDK. I'm going to look for it in case there is anything to report. Maybe not, or maybe so but I have not encountered ICE and plan to avoid them if they are in my town. I have PTSD that is activated when someone points a gun at me or just has a gun handy, one that I can see. Also, I don't like to be dragged.
 
Yesterday I posted my browser tracker was going nuts while I was in SF. Then found the report in browser settings
and every tracker sent was Google. That tells me even though I don't have Alexa or Siri at all, they are still
trying to get info on what I am talking about. I guess my tracker blocker keeps me covered in here and they are not
giving up it seems, as it's doing it again today.
 
I am a little OCD about privacy.

However, if THEY are listening in, (wait, not IF, more "Hey You! Listen Up!") please send a painter who is young, attractive, very smart, excellent at his work, and either cheap or better yet free! Oh! And a housekeeper.

Many folks say they don't care because they aren't doing anything wrong. In whose opinion? @MarciKS: If your employer read your posts here, would you still have a job? If my state dept of revenue reads my post about their lousy tax returns, would they decide to put me through hell with an audit ("We'll fix her alright.")? Do you think your vote ballot is "secret"? Nope, it has a number tagged to it that is tagged to your name. Your bank account can be frozen for no reason.
 
Most of the time, this snooping is just for marketing, but your political views could be used by the government for all sorts of nefarious things.

The government could tell broadband providers to throttle back your bandwidth if you're a member of the opposition political party. You might not get help if there's a natural disaster in your area, or maybe the police won't show up if you call 911 about a crime. Your mail-in ballot might accidently get lost.
 
RambleTamble said:
Most of the time, this snooping is just for marketing, but your political views could be used by the government for all sorts of nefarious things.

The government could tell broadband providers to throttle back your bandwidth if you're a member of the opposition political party. You might not get help if there's a natural disaster in your area, or maybe the police won't show up if you call 911 about a crime. Your mail-in ballot might accidently get lost.
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But what could anyone (government, companies, etc.) gain from the type of email 'snooping' that I related earlier in this thread?
 
Don't use an Android or Apple phone or tablet. Don't use a PC with Microsoft Windows, don't use an AI home assistant.

Problem solved (y)

There are privacy phones with alternate operating systems or just a dumb phone. Linux or several other user friendly operating systems can be installed on just about any PC:)
 
outlander said:
Don't use an Android or Apple phone or tablet. Don't use a PC with Microsoft Windows, don't use an AI home assistant.

Problem solved(y)
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I bought a Linux disk, but can't figure out how to install it.

This PC and laptop are both Windows (already installed when I received the devices), and phone is Android..

I didn't know there were any other phones than Android and Apple. Never had Apple, but heard enough negative stuff about it.
 
Today my wife and I were talking about something and some time later we got recommended a YouTube video that dealt exactly with this. As we talked, both of us used our mobiles to watch YouTube videos. Any questions?
 
GoodEnuff said:
I am a little OCD about privacy.

However, if THEY are listening in, (wait, not IF, more "Hey You! Listen Up!") please send a painter who is young, attractive, very smart, excellent at his work, and either cheap or better yet free! Oh! And a housekeeper.

Many folks say they don't care because they aren't doing anything wrong. In whose opinion? @MarciKS: If your employer read your posts here, would you still have a job? If my state dept of revenue reads my post about their lousy tax returns, would they decide to put me through hell with an audit ("We'll fix her alright.")? Do you think your vote ballot is "secret"? Nope, it has a number tagged to it that is tagged to your name. Your bank account can be frozen for no reason.
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Not trying to be hateful but first of all my employer wouldn't be on here and wouldn't know it was me. Secondly, has this actually happened to anyone you know of? I've never met a single person whose encountered any of that stuff you mentioned. And why on earth would anyone need to freeze someone's bank account for no reason?

Odds are if they're freezing your acct it's because of illegal or suspicious activity. I've never encountered issues that couldn't be resolved with a phone call to the bank. I agree with Ramble that most of it is for marketing purposes. I sometimes feel like people are a little too paranoid about certain things. I get the whole privacy safety thing. Just sometimes I think people go a little overboard in their thinking. No offense intended.
 
@Sunkist

There are literally hundreds of Linux distros (versions) that can be downloaded for free and put on a bootable USB stick.

You can test them out before installing or making any changes to you current Windows.

 
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George1959 said:
Today my wife and I were talking about something and some time later we got recommended a YouTube video that dealt exactly with this. As we talked, both of us used our mobiles to watch YouTube videos. Any questions?
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I have been looking up eczema and psoriasis treatment all week on Google and haven't seen a single ad anywhere for medication or shampoos or lotions or anything. Not one. So how do you explain that?
 
This is the reality of big corporations making more money. In this case Google can be busted and slapped with a huge settlement or fines.
They make more money selling the info than any law suit or fines they have to pay. This means Google like any other large corporation will just continue doing wrong and pay out when they have to. The math says they make more money operating this way.

Free enterprise at it's finest;)
 
outlander said:
This is the reality of big corporations making more money. In this case Google can be busted and slapped with a huge settlement or fines.
They make more money selling the info than any law suit or fines they have to pay. This means Google like any other large corporation will just continue doing wrong and pay out when they have to. The math says they make more money operating this way.

Free enterprise at it's finest;)
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My thought was that if they settle, they avoid any court order to cease their existing practices.
 

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