Google SVP Hardware: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home | Hacker News Reader

Google SVP Hardware: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

bbc.com

47 pointsPeterStuer17 comments

Last time I was in a Silicon Valley Hotel, I had to sign a waver that I accepted that there was an Alexa in my room. Of signed it, and unplugged it (as well as the TV). I will not have these horrible things near me. The hotel claimed they would charge if you unplugged it. They didn't.

Pretty soon, I imagine there will be Airbnb Experiences ads that tout something about "living simply" with hosts that specifically do not have "smart" devices in their home.

Not exactly a listening device, but I was in an AirBnb once. Every time I would open the door, I could hear a notification being played in the upstairs unit. It wasn't the back door that caused the notification, but the actual door the apartment I was staying in. It was displeasing.

FYI, house owner spying on people using smart cameras has been a major problem for Airbnb for a good while now.

Can you share what hotel this was?

I wonder what would be their reasoning behind wanting to charge for a customer unplugging an Alexa. Why would it matter?

Someone has to come in and plug it back in, I’m assuming.

Right but doesn’t someone have to vacuum and clean the place anyway? Seems like the additional cost of adding “plug in the Alexa if it’s unplugged” to the cleaning checklist would be completely negligible.

Lost earnings?

After all, you pay them $150/night but they also get $0.1 from Amazon that they just can live without...

I wonder what happens if you refuse to sign it

this is not going to help when Google, like Amazon, is pushing for things like always listening ear buds (announced today). Anyone around you can be leaking conversations or other sensitive information.

>The latest version of Google's Pixel Buds will be able to get hands-free access to Google Assistant so you just have to say "Hey Google" ...

This is extremely intrusive technology being introduced to solve problems that don't exist, so that more data can be harvested about everything surrounding your life.

I'm waiting for an open source smart speaker where I control all the data.

Until then, I wont buy one.

There's a decent middle ground: an assistant "parasite" https://bjoernkarmann.dk/project_alias

It feeds noise into Google Home/Alexa until your custom keyword is spoken. It's also open source.

Mycroft AI

What about if you have an android device on your person?

What about Apple if you are Chinese

> “As Mr Osterloh points out, its Nest cameras shine an LED light when they are in record mode, which cannot be overridden.“

Yeah, as of about a month ago it can’t be overridden. The changes they’ve made to Nest devices recently just confirm the fact that their products are heavily predisposed to violating the privacy of anyone nearby.

What happens in two party states and the uninformed party does not concent to being recorded?

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