Smart speakers are a must for anyone looking to create a voice-activated home – from listening to music and podcasts to controlling the latest connected gadgets, these devices have become a household staple.
So much so that more than 30 million were shipped worldwide in the first three months of 2022, with Amazon leading the race, accounting for about a third of them thanks to Alexa-enabled devices.
However VPNOverview (opens in a new tab) uncovered disturbing research indicating that your smart speaker is collecting more data about you than you initially thought.
Smart speakers are always listening
Smart speakers are always listening to you (unless you disable that feature, which defeats the purpose) and are able to store recordings or transcripts of what you said to help developers make it even more intuitive, but at what cost?
While Amazon, Google, and Apple promise minimal data collection and high security, many users will enable third-party integrations that allow them to interact with a multitude of services, from connected cars to food ordering apps and pretty much everything in between.
VPNOverview says that “some of these third-party skills are not thoroughly moderated,” which could open the door for hackers to risk various leaks and hacks. Activation VPN reduces these risks to some extent.
Another concern raised by the company is that some smart speakers may make online purchases directly on the device. It recommends setting up two-factor authentication (2FA) to authorize these transactions, but for many, this again defeats the point of having a device turned on at home.
Ultimately, it turns out that in most cases, customers prioritize convenience over privacy, rendering many of the measures put in place by companies almost useless.
Google says it does not store audio recordings on its servers by default. Amazon says its users can view and delete their voice recordings and transcripts, which are stored securely in the cloud. Finally, Apple says it only keeps the minimum required data for six months. We contacted all three companies for advice on what users can do to ensure the maximum possible protection of their data when using smart speakers.
Apple directed us to his HomePod privacy and security (opens in a new tab) website, Amazon told us to check it out explanatory page (opens in a new tab) AND Frequently asked questions page (opens in a new tab)and Google referred us to her privacy page (opens in a new tab) AND a guide to practical steps that users can take (opens in a new tab).