Never use Alexa and Amazon Echo if you value your privacy
We may sometimes forget it, but it is always necessary to remember that smart speakers like Alexa and Amazon Echo are nothing more than a microphone connected to the Internet, which for many cybersecurity specialists represents a serious problem. Why do experts consider these devices to be a risk to the users’ privacy?
- These
devices never rest
Cybersecurity specialists and users have mentioned that Amazon Echo is always listening, and they are right. Unless the “mute” function is activated, the smart speaker will always be in the expectation of listening to the word that turns it on (wake word).
- Newer
models include a camera
Echo Look, one of the most recent Amazon
devices, includes a camera that, according to the company, would work to
capture user images and share fashion tips. However, Amazon has not specified
whether this camera has automatic activation capability or if it includes any
type of restriction.
As if it were not enough, cybersecurity
specialists fear that future software upgrades will add more advanced
capabilities to this camera that could completely expose the user.
- Drop-In
feature poses critical privacy risks
Other Amazon devices, such as Echo Show and
Echo Spot, also include cameras and microphones, plus video call screens. In
addition, they include the Drop-In feature, which has concerned some
specialists.
Thanks to this function, a user can make a call
and the system will enable the receiver’s device, without them accepting or
declining the call; although the company alleges that this function was
intended to function as a baby monitor, there are few malicious uses that can
be made of it.
- Amazon
stores some recordings
According to specialists from the International
Institute of Cyber Security (IICS) when Echo hears a command, Amazon stores a
recording of the request and the response that the system emits. Although users can delete these records, the
fact that the company stores records of their interactions with the system is a
serious privacy issue.
Not only do companies’ invasive policies pose a
risk to users’ privacy. A threat actor with the necessary knowledge and tools
could take control of any of these devices for malicious purposes.
While it is true that engaging one of these
devices is a really complex activity, it is a fact that it is possible to use
these devices against their owners, especially if they are purchased
second-hand.
- More
invasive advertising methods
Amazon exploits the user’s shopping history to
recommend custom ads or to give preference to some products when the user is
shopping online using only his or her voice. This ability to weight some
products above others can even help Amazon generate more profits by selling
other developments thanks to Echo, such as Amazon Kindle or Dash Button.
Gloss