But it can also feel a little frightening to have a smart device in your house that is always listening. What does it do with the information it collects? Or where does that information go? As with all Internet of Things (IoT) devices, it’s imperative to give security precedence.
Most consumers are likely unaware that they’re in possession of an always “eavesdropping” piece of artificial intelligence hardware in their homes. But the cybersecurity criminals are cognizant of this fact and are working overtime to exploit every security vulnerability. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Multiple consumer reports have been filed about voice-activated devices spying on everything. In one case, a reviewer from AndroidPolice reported that Google Home Mini was listening and recording even when he hadn’t said the wake phrase call.
In a statement Google acknowledged that some of their smart speakers were listening too much to what their owners were saying. The bug has since been fixed through a software update. Nevertheless, this shows how these voice-activated speakers could technically be used to listen in and record even sensitive information that could compromise your online security if it lands in the wrong hands. To prevent accidental shopping, Alexa will ask you to confirm the purchase. It becomes easy to carry on because you only need to verify with your voice. But it’s not all bad; there are measures you can take to mitigate these risks.
