Amazon's Alexa has been under the radar for breach of privacy as experts warn against keeping the device inside bedrooms. As per The Economic Times reports, Dr Hannah Fry, a mathematician at University College London and tech company algorithms expert, advised keeping Alexa devices away from intimate and private spaces like bathrooms and bedrooms. Why is this voice-activated virtual assistant suddenly raising concerns? Is the device snooping on its users?
What is Alexa?
Alexa, a virtual assistant technology, was created from a Polish speech synthesiser that Amazon had purchased in 2013. The voice-activated app can do several things, like playing music, interacting with users, providing weather information and more. Even though Alexa requires a wake word to activate it, experts claim that the gadget records private conversations.
Why should you not keep Alexa in the bedroom?
According to Dr Fry, the device might get activated from small triggers and record conversations. Additionally, users of Alexa need to consent to the fact that the gadget may regularly record them. Thus, it would be advisable to keep the device away from more private areas of your home, such as your bedroom and bathroom.
Who hears your conversations?
As per reports, the Amazon team overhears personal talks of Alexa users. Amazon itself has confirmed this fact, however, it reassured users that the staff only listens to the recorded conversations for research purposes. According to Amazon, a select group of employees who need these review tools to enhance the service, are given access to them. "Our review process does not associate voice recordings with any customer identifiable information," said Amazon, as stated in a report by Economic Times.
How to protect your privacy?
Alexa allows its users to turn off the recording device or choose the privacy mode via the application on the phone. The gadget can also be muted with the mute button or its microphone can be disabled. However, it is always recommended that Alexa is unplugged whenever it is not in use to avoid privacy infringement.
