this post was submitted on 25 May 2025
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Must have missed the part where the article explained anything clearly other than Amazon documents all your prompts.
That’s not enough?
That it’s listening and remembering when I talk to it? That’s not exactly spying on us.
That’s exactly what it is.
It gave him back every piece of data he had put into Amazon which was tied to a log in. Where is the spying? He willing did this and the whole piece felt like an observation more than a worry. Just my perception that though.
"it gave him back every piece of data"
Back from where? Back from Amazon where it lives, after being collected from the writer's house. Where it is regularly used for algorithmic massage to better pluck dollars off of them and further direct their media habits.
Honestly, this is not hard.
Collecting data is different than spying.
Wow.
I know, I'm supposed to be terrified of technology, the internet and big corporate!
You're supposed to know spying is all about collecting data
I do know that, but collecting data isn't always spying.
This is the first result for "spying" in a search:
Does it apply to amazon? I think it depends on what's considered "confidential". Which is not just about what one thinks is confidential but the context in which that information is used.
Also, this is just the information they send back to you. It may only be due to GDPR. It does not mean there isn't more.
Of course there could be more but I don’t see the point of making that assumption or living that way. I’ll just limit my data input in case. While Amazon should be more transparent people still wouldn’t believe them and “if” they are truly only collecting the input I give them then I don’t consider that spying. With that said it’s good to know and each individual can choose if they’re ok with it or not.
It's a mistake to send any data to a corporation for their continued use. Yes, it's the default EULA and it's wrong. This is how Brexit and trump were able to happen - they slurped up all the facebook "confidential" data and pinpointed the most vulnerable to propaganda - suddenly MAGA is a thing and they actually got the UK to shoot itself in the foot.
You're getting douchevoted for speaking heresy but you're right, Amazon only records requests and commands - i.e. what you say after "Alexa". Every article about what Amazon actually does and doesn't record is quickly forgotten because sinister plots are far more entertaining.
Thank you and god forbid someone has a different opinion. There are a lot of assumptions on the internet about what smart speakers are and aren't but this article didn't reveal anything shocking IMO. The writer didn't even seem bothered by all of it. It just came off as a simple observation piece to me.
Yeah the tone wasn't OMG I'm being spied on, it was more like here's what I found when I perused an old family album I forgot about.