“Hey Alexa, Are You Stalking Me?”

We’ve entered the digital age where it seems everyone is concerned about devices listening in and learning the nuances of our everyday lives. People joke about waving to the FBI agents on the other side of our computer screens or putting phones in the microwave to deter agencies/corporations from listening in on conversations. In all reality, those who joke might not be that far off base. Here are 4 things you should know regarding your devices’ listening capabilities:

1. Voice-activated devices, such as Alexa and Google Home, always have their microphones on. Although the device is always listening, the device doesn’t send information back to company servers until a key word is activated (ex. “Alexa,” or “Hey, Google”).
2. With most devices, you can see what your device has recorded.
   1. For Alexa:
      1. Open the Alexa app on your smartphone.
      2. Tap the menu button on the top-left side of the screen.
      3. Scroll down and select ‘Settings.’
      4. Scroll down the page and tap ‘History’.
      5. You’ll be able to see all the commands Alexa has heard and any suspicious activity where Alexa has recorded.
   2. For Google Home:
      1. Open Google Home app and click on hamburger icon.
      2. In the drop-down list, click on “My Activity” and you’ll soon see a list of all interactions you’ve had with Google Assistant.
3. Google and Facebook have both released statements that deny using cellphone microphones to collect information for ads.
   1. Google wrote: “We do not use ambient sound from any device to target ads.” While Facebook stated, “We show ads based on people’s interests and other profile information—not what you’re talking out loud about.”
4. Televisions, smartphones, and even anti-virus software are all vulnerable to CIA hacking.
   1. The details of the full capabilities and behavior of the US surveillance state are almost entirely unknown as secrecy is imperative to the operations.

Now what exactly do those four things mean? Well, supposedly not all our conversations are being listened to, we can see what information is being sent back to Google, Amazon, Apple, etc., the government can basically do whatever they want, and we won’t even know about this. This raises a few questions for me: If a big corporation like Google or Amazon is listening to my conversations through my devices, what’s their incentive to tell me they are listening? (It seems that it is far more strategic and profitable for them to keep their mouths shut and their ears open…) How much does the government know? Luckily for me, most of my conversations aren’t about colluding against the government. So, I doubt the government is highly invested in what I have to say. But even if they are listening, which clearly invades my privacy, do I really care?

Along with this new digital age we’ve entered, we’ve also entered a new age where privacy may not be as much of a priority anymore. In fact, a recent Gallup report supports this statement as it shows:

1. Millennials are generally more aware of potential data security risks than other generations but are not as likely to be concerned with these risks.
2. More than any previous generation, millennials are likely to trust businesses to keep their data secure.

https://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/192401/data-security-not-big-concern-millennials.aspx

It makes sense, right? Millennials have never known a world without technology. They don’t have anything to compare to the information-seeking world we live in now. But that’s an excuse for ignoring the potential privacy violations we have on our hands. I’ve spent a significant time questioning why older generations focus so much on the need for digital privacy. There was a time when one’s data was kept in a locked file cabinet only accessible to the person with a key. We have since moved to a system where that file cabinet is no longer “physical” and is attacked by hackers on a regular basis trying to exploit that data. We are in a time where identity theft, credit card fraud, hacking of wire transfers in business transactions, and corruption of personal data now exists. I question whether full trust in the online system, or trust in those that are listening, can ever exist.

We live in a time of incredible convenience. With our mere voices we can search the knowledge of the world. We can have objects from around the globe delivered to our door in days. We can exchange currency without ever touching it. But with this convenience we need to be aware that we also jeopardize losing our privacy. Ultimately, whether you are a Millennial, a child of the New Silent Generation, or from any generation before us, you should be aware that we don’t have all the information – but there is a good chance that someone does.