• SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      79
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 day ago

      Off-device processing has been the default from day one. The only thing changing is the removal for local processing on certain devices, likely because the new backing AI model will no longer be able to run on that hardware.

      • 4am@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        35
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 day ago

        With on-device processing, they don’t need to send audio. They can just send the text, which is infinitely smaller and easier to encrypt as “telemetry”. They’ve probably got logs of conversations in every Alexa household.

        • b1t@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          37
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          1 day ago

          This has always blown my mind. Watching people willingly allow Big Brother-esque devices into their home for very, very minor conveniences like turning on some gimmicky multi-colored light bulbs. Now they’re literally using home “security” cameras that store everything on some random cloud server. I’ll truly never understand.

            • b1t@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              15 hours ago

              My brother and a buddy both have Alexas. And yeah, I hate being anywhere near the thing.

          • loie@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            5
            ·
            1 day ago

            I mean… I 100% agree, and yet you and I and everyone reading this are carrying around a phone that can do the exact same shit

            • b1t@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              5
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              1 day ago

              This is why jailbreaking/rooting your phone is so important.

          • deranger@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            12
            arrow-down
            7
            ·
            edit-2
            1 day ago

            Why has no security researcher published evidence of these devices with microphones uploading random conversations? Nobody working on the inside has ever leaked anything regarding this potentially massive breach of privacy? A perfectly secret conspiracy by everyone involved?

            We know more about top secret NSA programs than we do about this proposed Alexa spy mechanism. None of the people working on this at Amazon have wanted to leak anything?

            I’m not saying it’s not possible, but it seems extremely improbable to me that everyone’s microphones are listening to their conversations, they’re being uploaded somewhere to serve them better ads, and absolutely nobody has leaked anything or found any evidence.

              • deranger@sh.itjust.works
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                5
                arrow-down
                2
                ·
                edit-2
                1 day ago

                I’m not saying it’s not possible

                There is no argument from ignorance fallacy in what I said. I am not claiming these devices never send audio without you wanting because there’s no evidence to the contrary.

                However, the idea that everyone’s microphones are always listening, and that’s why you saw an ad for whatever after talking to your friend, yet not a single person has observed a device uploading this kind of data, nor has anyone ever leaked any kind of information on this supposed system, is extremely unlikely to be true in my opinion.

                They don’t need microphones to do this. Regular tracking is plenty to do a good job at suggesting you a highly relevant ad, and frequency illusion does the rest. You’re not noticing the thousand times you see ads that are irrelevant to whatever you were talking about, but the one time you do notice really sticks out.

                Frankly there are plenty of more concerning ways of violating our privacy that are out in the open that I believe are a much higher priority than mics always recording, of which there is no evidence for.

                • b1t@lemm.ee
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  4
                  arrow-down
                  2
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  1 day ago

                  If no proof is offered (in either direction), then the proposition can be called unproven, undecided, inconclusive, an open problem or a conjecture.

                  Stating that you don’t think that it’s possible is irrelevant. It’s either happening or it isn’t. True or false. P or ¬P.

                  is extremely unlikely to be true in my opinion.

                  Is an argument from ignorance. Not trying to be rude, but this is basic logic.

                  • deranger@sh.itjust.works
                    link
                    fedilink
                    English
                    arrow-up
                    1
                    arrow-down
                    2
                    ·
                    edit-2
                    14 hours ago

                    Well, offer some proof that it’s happening then. I’ve not seen any proof that people’s mics are always listening and uploading their conversations somewhere to serve them ads, or whatever other conspiracy is commonly claimed.

                    Why don’t you flex your understanding of logic on the person you initially responded to, who said:

                    They’ve probably got logs of conversations in every Alexa household.

                    Where’s the evidence for that claim?

            • takeda@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              4
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              1 day ago

              Because if they would publish it, the other security experts would say “well, duh, that’s how it works”.

              It is just the average people that are unaware of it, or don’t seem to care.