New Echo Home Assistant: Revolutionary or Scary?
Amazon's new home assistant has the potential to change the household forever, but Echo's "always on, always listening" technology has some consumers worried.
Amazon's new home assistant has the potential to change the household forever, but Echo's "always on, always listening" technology has some consumers worried.
Echo is never too far away – and this is what sets it apart from other smart machinery. This product creates an interconnected home and life for high-tech gadget connoisseurs by allowing them the ability to accomplish tasks such as update to-do lists and alarms on their Echo home assistant from work through the companion app on their business computer. Today’s Rosie the Robot is coming soon to select Amazon customers. Your questions, music tracks, grocery lists, local news and weather updates will never be out of reach again, as Echo is connected to the cloud and is continuously updating and improving its information for your convenience. Echo is the most artificially intelligent cylinder you will ever know, with the capabilities of Apple’s Siri on steroids.
Due to Echo’s progressive features, consumers have started anticipating the potential consequences of the Echo home assistant. Ultra sensitive far-field voice recognition technology enables Echo to become active to your needs at the sound of its assigned wake word, even when you’re across the room. Because of this voice activation feature, Echo is always on and always listening, awaiting the magic word to assist you. So if Echo is always on, then is privacy always off? Many have criticized the product as an Orwellian “Big Brother” technology that could lead to violation of its owner’s seclusion and daily life. Because of Echo’s synchronization with the cloud and the companion app for iOS browsers, Android and Fire OS, Echo shares information with other devices such as tablets, phones, computers or any electronic gadgets with the app or cloud connection. If web wizards learned to hack into the Echo bot, it could be used as a tool to spy on not only its surroundings, but also the data and content on the other electronic devices to which it is given access.
Due to Echo’s progressive features, consumers have started anticipating the potential consequences of the Echo home assistant. Ultra sensitive far-field voice recognition technology enables Echo to become active to your needs at the sound of its assigned wake word, even when you’re across the room. Because of this voice activation feature, Echo is always on and always listening, awaiting the magic word to assist you. So if Echo is always on, then is privacy always off? Many have criticized the product as an Orwellian “Big Brother” technology that could lead to violation of its owner’s seclusion and daily life. Because of Echo’s synchronization with the cloud and the companion app for iOS browsers, Android and Fire OS, Echo shares information with other devices such as tablets, phones, computers or any electronic gadgets with the app or cloud connection. If web wizards learned to hack into the Echo bot, it could be used as a tool to spy on not only its surroundings, but also the data and content on the other electronic devices to which it is given access.
If Echo security is breached, identity theft and other privacy risks are likely for this intersection of personal data. In the recent past, customers of Twitter, Facebook and AT&T were outraged after it became public knowledge that law enforcement, with the help of court orders, could forcibly obtain information from the phone records and personal social media accounts of its citizens without the law requiring that customers be informed. For Echo users, a governmental act like this could violate the most intimate of settings, a place where personal privacy is always expected – American homes. Imagine facing trial with your Amazon Echo collected for evidence.
JIBO, a home bot like Echo equipped with facial recognition software, has been implemented with security encryptions for both personal data and the Cloud. The JIBO Company has publicly assured their commitment to user privacy. “There is no way for a remote user to enable the camera or microphone,” The JIBO website maintains. “JIBO will only connect to other devices (including other JIBO robots) that have a digital certificate explicitly allowing that connection.” Amazon has not released details on its security and privacy plans as of yet.
Shoppers will just have to stay tuned for future news on the Echo home assistant. Just as with any new product on the electro-market, there are risks and rewards. But if you choose to take a plunge into the modern world of interconnectivity with Echo, be sure to take a look at the terms and conditions before signing up.
- Lauren Spaunburgh, Contributing Writer