Just the other day, I'm out for a ride in the car with my two boys when one of them says This was not the first time I had such an experience with new technologies that listen and perform tricks for its users. If I were to rewind back a few years ago, I recall going out to lunch with some of my professional friends. While at the restaurant, a song was playing on that really annoying Muzak system. The tune was familiar but nobody knew the name of the song. Joe, pulls out his brand new Apple phone and holds it in the air [and waved it like he just didn't care]. His phone then displayed the name of the song, the artist and the year it was made. He was using the Shazam app. Fast forward back to now, I am surfing on the Internet and stop at the Amazon site. It must be my lucky day, Amazon just unveiled its new Echo system that performs the features of the previous examples and a whole lot more. In fact, it links to your Amazon shopping account [of course] and suggests things you can do such as re-order a previously ordered thing. It reads books to you and plays songs for you and answers to two names: After hearing about these great new technologies, are you beginning to feel a bit uneasy? What happens if I say a bad word or talk about a topic that is taboo? Does it become a permanently recorded search term in some Internet data repository and attributed to me. Do I dare, place a device like this in my bedroom, especially if my real girlfriend's name is actually Alexa. If your imagination is a vivid as mine, imagine all of the search terms that get looked up by the device! All of this convenience and functionality is great, but it comes at a price — your privacy! In a recently reported news story, a major technical flaw was discovered in nearly all current versions of Android phones. Skilled hackers could perform a simple trick and turn your individual [and normally private] device into a remotely controlled camera and microphone without your knowledge. This means that strangers from all over the planet can virtually listen in on your otherwise private conversations by remotely controlling your Android phone or tablet. Such hacks have already been successful against Apple phones when high—profile celebrity accounts were broken into and the contents exposed to the world. You might ask, what's next. What a great question! As new technologies that listen and act on voice commands emerge, there are serious privacy implications that must be considered. While I love technology, I know that hackers love to hack. I believe it may be just a matter of time before some clever and malicious—minded individuals will ruin our collective concept of privacy by exploiting such devices and listening in on our most private conversations. While you are set to enjoy the great pleasures of having technology work for you, always be mindful that while we enjoy the positive benefits of technology, there are those individuals looking to make the same technology perform actions that make us cringe. So listen up and guard your privacy!
Ok Google — I want some ice cream
. His phone, then proceeded to name restaurants within a couple of blocks from our current location. I thought that was really interesting on a couple of levels. On one level, the phone has become a real utility tool for people who need assistance in finding information without having to empty their hands. On the other hand, I began to envision my sons never knowing the value of manually searching for information by using their brains! Let's just say I was frightened and disturbed simultaneously. There must be a word for that state of mind! Echo
and Alexa
. After everyone hears the name Alexa, nobody even tries to call their system Echo, anymore.
