Why someone wants a smart home assistant is beyond me

[dequire]

Amazon turns over record amount of customer data to US law enforcement

One thing many people forget - it's the same as when you are arrested. Everyone knows the phrase "anything you say can and will be used against you". But what often goes un-noticed and forgotten is that phrase's equally true counter-point: "nothing you say can possibly in any way help you". In fact, most often it's not even admissible in court...So...

Why would any sane person put one of these in their house? Assuming the vast majority of people are fairly rational and moral (or at least not amoral), wouldn't the risk of "accidental self-incrimination" by itself be enough to warrant never wanting one of these privacy-crushing things in your home? Is it really worth being so lazy to turn on a light or press a TV remote that we willingly give up our spoken thoughts to the world, both human and AI?

[dequire]

As someone on Twitter rightly pointed out, what could possibly go wrong?

[jglen490]

I can see in certain cases of disability or recovery from serious medical issues, on of these "things" may be useful, but this takes the IOT way too far for most of us IMNSHO. I still feel guilty (kind of) when I use my TV remote, but telling one device to act on another device while you're in the immediate vicinity - NO.

[TWPonKubuntu]

I found this article today:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018...developer-kit/

Why limit yourself to only home use? We can all become cyborgs today! Resistance Is Futile, You Will Be Assimilated!...

Alexa! Punish the Toaster, it burnt my toast again!

[Bings]

[oshunluvr]

Did anyone read the article? I didn't see any accusations of malfeasance by Amazon and in fact they were resistant in most cases and it seemed that all data supplied was in response to a legal request.

While, I agree that we need to be aware more and more portals are opening in our private worlds due to the IoT, but how paranoid do you need to be? In a very broad sense, yes we need to be aware that much of what we do is not actually private, so do I stop using a cell phone? You know your cell phone mic is listening whether you're on a call or not, right? Just ask Siri or Goggle. Does your smart TV have a mic? Is my refrigerator reporting things about me to Samsung? Does your OnStar tattle to the Highway Patrol that you're speeding?

Frankly, I'm not interested in reverting to black-and-white TV or wearing a tin hat and I like the access and convenience of IoT devices. If I decide to plan a crime, I'll do it out-of-reach of them if I can.

[oshunluvr]

BTW, I don't believe simply owning and using a smart device rises to the level of insanity. Conversely, if you choose to your own detriment to avoid technology simply because you believe "big brother is watching you", you may in fact be suffering from paranoid delusions and rightly called insane.

[Snowhog]

Did anyone read the article?

What!! Why in the world would anyone do that?!

Fostering paranoia is SO MUCH more rewarding. (No suggestion of the sort being made here to the OP)

[oshunluvr]

what!! Why in the world would anyone do that?! ;d

fostering paranoia is so much more rewarding. (no suggestion of the sort being made here to the op)

++1

;d

[TWPonKubuntu]

Me? Paranoid? Well, that depends on who is making the diagnosis...

While I can see the point of view that "I'm not doing anything illegal, so I don't need to worry"... The problem is that what is legal today can become "illegal" tomorrow, after we're already done whatever is deemed to be illegal...

I give you:
Feeding pigeons in the park.
Feeding the homeless.
Driving without a drivers license.
Driving without registration.
Driving without insurance.
Holding "incorrect" religious beliefs.

I could go on, but I hope you see the way this does work, today.

Paranoia is your friend...

Technology is a wonder and I do use it every day. I'm also paranoid about how my actions are being tracked, recorded and cataloged.

And, no, I'm not offended and did not take it as aimed at me.

[TWPonKubuntu]

PS: Where can I find the ROTFL emoji? It doesn't appear in the normal text editor options.

[Snowhog]

What!! Why in the world would anyone do that?!

Fostering paranoia is SO MUCH more rewarding. (No suggestion of the sort being made here to the OP)

Testing to see if ‘my’ quoting results in the formatting of the quoted text being ‘changed’; Uppercase first letter of a sentance changing to lowercase, and the second smilie being changed to it’s text value. Why? These changes are present in the quoted content made by oshunluver.

Previwing this post shows that the formatting is intact.

[Snowhog]

PS: Where can I find the ROTFL emoji? It doesn't appear in the normal text editor options.

Just click on the More button after you click on the emoji icon in the Editor Toolbar.

[TWPonKubuntu]

Did anyone read the article? I didn't see any accusations of malfeasance by Amazon and in fact they were resistant in most cases and it seemed that all data supplied was in response to a legal request...

With respect to Amazon, specifically, they created the database in the first place. I'll agree that they then found themselves between the rock and the hard place and but then chose to acquiesce to the demand for disclosure.

The problem, IMO, lies in the original choice to keep a database which, again IMO, is an invasion of privacy.

We are not going to solve this here. Nor do I see a solution on the horizon. All I can recommend is to be aware that this is happening and avoid writing a potentially negative profile into those databases.

Walks away, polishing his solid brass halo using his shirttails.

[dequire]

^ That's it. Give them an inch, they take a mile. Also, if companies like Amazon are your sole line of defense between an over-zealous Government and you, you might be playing with fire. I'm not saying "don't use tech"...anyone here who has ever been involved with a convo with me likely knows that. I run a Plex media server as do others here. I've used the voice control on my various Roku, Chromecast, Chromecast Audio, and android boxes. Things like Google Maps are occasionally invaluable, smart thermostats can save money, I could go on and on. But the fact that the NSA (and friends) are doling out ever-increasing amounts of subpoenas based on things acquired from listening on on your conversations, both "between you and your devices and between you and others in the room" should be enough to raise a few eyebrows. If not, and that reflects the popular opinion in society, well we're all in for a Orwellian future faster than we think.

I'm not trying to say people should not buy a smart toaster or a fridge that auto-orders milk or talk to their TV on a regular basis. I'm just trying to say not to let incrementalism happen around you without your knowledge and listen to people like Snowden who are regularly warning us about what's going in with our government. Then, sufficiently informed, do with the information what you will. Carry on.