There's some weird anthropomorphization with Alexa and similar voice assistant type devices that seems based less on the data being collected and more on the fact that you're speaking to it instead of typing in queries. This article definitely leans very heavily into that perspective, but doesn't seem to realize it or reflect on why.
As an example, the part of the article about questions his daughter has asked Alexa reflects things no different than ones you might type into a search engine. But he describes it as "Coco’s relationship with Alexa...", a term I'm confident he wouldn't use to describe her typing the same things into Google. You could maybe make the argument that it's different because people ask Alexa things they wouldn't just search for, but that potentially interesting distinction is unexplored by the author.
I'm not aware of anything covering this, but I think there's some interesting potential looking into how humans see technology as more human if they can communicate with it in a human way, regardless of whether or not it otherwise displays aspects of humanity. Generative AI falls into this category too I think. People view it as way more intelligent than it actually is because you can sort of converse with it like a human.
threeducks · 3h ago
> But we have two Echo devices in our household and the data shows whether a request came from the Echo Plus in the kitchen or the original Echo on our daughter Coco’s bedside table, where it has sat since around her ninth birthday. [...] So I now know that it was Coco who wanted to know what it is to be omnisexual and what omniscient means.
Doesn't it feel wrong to the author to snoop through that private information? And publishing it in a news article definitely crosses a line.
tocs3 · 2h ago
Doesn't it feel wrong to the author to snoop through that private information?
It feels a little strange at first but I suspect (correctly or not) that he has sought and received permission from the daughter first. Although I did not see any direct statement. The daughter is 18 or so now (maybe, adding up the times).
The article is as much about the humdrumness of family life as about what Alexa and Amazon hears. I am glad I read it. Puts life (and some parts of technology in perspective).
Ylpertnodi · 2h ago
>It feels a little strange at first but I suspect (correctly or not) that he has sought and received permission from the daughter first.
.
daveguy · 2h ago
Two questions,
1) What sensitive information was published in this article besides some superficial listening preferences and some Alexa interactions we have all had? I'm not sure identifying the extent of the use of the prefix "omni" is particularly sensitive information. It's not like anyone was divulging personal preference by asking for definitions.
2) What makes you think the author didn't run it by their family before submitting the story?
garbagewoman · 1h ago
To answer 2, a lack of any reference to permission being sought is the obvious answer
johnea · 2h ago
> Doesn't it feel wrong to the author to snoop through that private information? And publishing it in a news article definitely crosses a line.
Well of course, only Amazon should have this info 8-/
This whole thing is truly disturbing.
And the millennial expectation that "OF COURSE the monopolistic corps should know everything", is by far the most disturbing part of all.
When in the next decade or two, people find themselves truly and irreversibly f_cked by corporate over-dominance, it will largely be their own fault...
MegaButts · 1h ago
> And the millennial expectation that "OF COURSE the monopolistic corps should know everything", is by far the most disturbing part of all.
Your experiences are very different from my own. I struggle to remember meeting anyone that thought this. Mostly people are just apathetic.
mschuster91 · 1h ago
> Mostly people are just apathetic.
And apathy is what caused all of history's greatest crimes to happen. No matter which political ideology, which skin color, which age.
As for the argument of "OF COURSE the monopolistic corps should know everything" itself... I kinda get it. Google at least used to provide a decent service to the end users in exchange for all the data, but they've gone completely off the rails the last few years.
andsoitis · 17m ago
> And apathy is what caused all of history's greatest crimes to happen
Surely the perpetrators of the crimes should carry some blame?
MegaButts · 1h ago
> Google at least used to provide a decent service to the end users in exchange for all the data, but they've gone completely off the rails the last few years.
Ever since Google fucked up social media by requiring verification with Google+ they've been pretty bad. That was 14 years ago.
BlarfMcFlarf · 24m ago
All the tech solutions have failed. Who do I vote for to stop it?
thrance · 3h ago
I mean, so is committing every sound ever heard through that microphone to a database used to train a voodoo doll of their daughter to better guess what she might be able to buy next.
jxjnskkzxxhx · 2h ago
Oh shit.... I never realized until now that's exactly what the point of Alexa is. I thought the point was like a different UI to Amazon. As in "being able to buy by clicking OR sounding must lead to a strictly larger number of sales than being able to buy by clicking only". So you can imagine my confusion on people telling me that Alexa isn't a good UI.
Of course. The point is to snoop on people to make better "recommendations". Dystopian.
techjamie · 2h ago
It can be both. Saying "Alexa, buy eggs" is a lot quicker and easier than loading up Amazon, finding the eggs you like which will probably be the top result for you, and clicking buy (or even Buy Now). Instead, it already knows your preferences in eggs anyway, so just by telling it, you can impulsively buy the eggs without even stopping what you're doing.
Then they get all that juicy "accidental activation" data on top of that.
kbelder · 1h ago
People buy eggs off Amazon? Every now and then the modern world boggles my mind.
HPsquared · 1h ago
You'd just get eggs from whoever sponsored the term "eggs" the highest.
daveguy · 2h ago
If only Alexa could be trusted to buy something as seemingly simple as eggs.
Flemlo · 2h ago
That's not necessarily true.
Amazon is also a ecosystem. Alexa shows you notifications from Amazon like the status of a delivery. It's able to call others (great for family).
Amazon has also the fire kid tablet, fire TV etc.
And if I already use Amazon anyway I'm quite happy if Amazon would recommend me good products I like.
For plenty of things, Alexa is a very good UI.
wormius · 40m ago
"But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother."
cluckindan · 1h ago
I thought this was obvious from the name. The phonetics of ”Alexa” are very close to sentences such as ”I like” and ”he/she likes”.
pessimizer · 2h ago
That private information is currently in the possession of an online bookstore, and he is her father.
dotancohen · 2h ago
Next time I need a facade for a society-wide surveillance system, bookstore it will be.
cluckindan · 1h ago
Out of curiosity, what was it last time?
daveguy · 2h ago
Bezos thanks you for your acknowledgement and service.
throwaway81523 · 3h ago
They shouldn't call it a home speaker. A home speaker is what we used to call a radio or hi-fi system. Alexa is a home microphone.
vezycash · 3h ago
Call it little snitch
LoganDark · 2h ago
Man, don't give Little Snitch a bad name.
happytoexplain · 3h ago
They don't - they call it a smart speaker.
HPsquared · 1h ago
"Smart" = Adtech.
Applies to TVs, fridges, anything really.
andix · 2h ago
Amazon really keeps recordings of all the things you ever said to Alexa. That's wild (I didn't know before).
Animats · 2h ago
And, of course, Homeland Security gets to look at all that data.
As an example, the part of the article about questions his daughter has asked Alexa reflects things no different than ones you might type into a search engine. But he describes it as "Coco’s relationship with Alexa...", a term I'm confident he wouldn't use to describe her typing the same things into Google. You could maybe make the argument that it's different because people ask Alexa things they wouldn't just search for, but that potentially interesting distinction is unexplored by the author.
I'm not aware of anything covering this, but I think there's some interesting potential looking into how humans see technology as more human if they can communicate with it in a human way, regardless of whether or not it otherwise displays aspects of humanity. Generative AI falls into this category too I think. People view it as way more intelligent than it actually is because you can sort of converse with it like a human.
Doesn't it feel wrong to the author to snoop through that private information? And publishing it in a news article definitely crosses a line.
It feels a little strange at first but I suspect (correctly or not) that he has sought and received permission from the daughter first. Although I did not see any direct statement. The daughter is 18 or so now (maybe, adding up the times).
The article is as much about the humdrumness of family life as about what Alexa and Amazon hears. I am glad I read it. Puts life (and some parts of technology in perspective).
.
1) What sensitive information was published in this article besides some superficial listening preferences and some Alexa interactions we have all had? I'm not sure identifying the extent of the use of the prefix "omni" is particularly sensitive information. It's not like anyone was divulging personal preference by asking for definitions.
2) What makes you think the author didn't run it by their family before submitting the story?
Well of course, only Amazon should have this info 8-/
This whole thing is truly disturbing.
And the millennial expectation that "OF COURSE the monopolistic corps should know everything", is by far the most disturbing part of all.
When in the next decade or two, people find themselves truly and irreversibly f_cked by corporate over-dominance, it will largely be their own fault...
Your experiences are very different from my own. I struggle to remember meeting anyone that thought this. Mostly people are just apathetic.
And apathy is what caused all of history's greatest crimes to happen. No matter which political ideology, which skin color, which age.
As for the argument of "OF COURSE the monopolistic corps should know everything" itself... I kinda get it. Google at least used to provide a decent service to the end users in exchange for all the data, but they've gone completely off the rails the last few years.
Surely the perpetrators of the crimes should carry some blame?
Ever since Google fucked up social media by requiring verification with Google+ they've been pretty bad. That was 14 years ago.
Of course. The point is to snoop on people to make better "recommendations". Dystopian.
Then they get all that juicy "accidental activation" data on top of that.
Amazon is also a ecosystem. Alexa shows you notifications from Amazon like the status of a delivery. It's able to call others (great for family).
Amazon has also the fire kid tablet, fire TV etc.
And if I already use Amazon anyway I'm quite happy if Amazon would recommend me good products I like.
For plenty of things, Alexa is a very good UI.
Applies to TVs, fridges, anything really.