If there’s one thing that CES 2017 showed us last month, it’s that the “internet of things” is our future. Our world is becoming increasingly more connected and so are our homes. Everything from your television or thermostat to your mirror or even your toaster can be intertwined in a web of wireless connectivity. These advances in technology offer new and exciting levels of convenience but what are the risks involved in being so connected all the time? This three part series of posts will help you weigh the potential risks of home connectivity and make a knowledgeable decision for your family.
Internet Privacy
There have been news reports about hackers playing with people’s wifi enabled thermostats, unlocking their smartphone controlled door locks, turning on closed circuit security cameras and even baby monitors. Many of these connected home appliances come with basic, easy to guess passwords and usernames and can be messed with very easily. The best advice for these types of products is to always change the username and password from the one that comes pre-designated. Now, however, more families are inviting a new digital personal assistant product into their home.
Many experts are looking at smart home and “PA” devices such as Amazon Alexa/Echo and Google Home with some caution due to their microphone “always listening.” There has been much conversation among internet privacy and security experts about the risks involved with a device in your home that can hear every conversation you’re having. Amazon and Google both say that their products were designed with privacy in mind and that they don’t store any information you say that wasn’t preceded by the command words. (i.e. Ok Google or Hey Alexa) What you say after you activate the devices is stored on an encrypted server but spokespersons for the companies are silent on what happens to the data after that. They only admit that your voice patterns and speech is being monitored to help the devices become better at recognizing you.
What Parents Should Know
“These devices are microphones already installed in people’s homes, transmitting data to third parties,” Joel Reidenberg, director of the Center on Law and Information Policy at Fordham Law School in New York City, told USA Today. “So reasonable privacy doesn’t exist. Under the Fourth Amendment, if you have installed a device that’s listening and is transmitting to a third party, then you’ve waived your privacy rights under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.” – Tec.Mic
Using a device like Alexa or Google Home effectively waives your right to privacy in your home. While you can mute the device to turn off the microphone, that decreases the convenience and usefulness of the product. When you use the product, however, you are accepting the terms and agreements and are allowing a microphone to be “always listening” (Google’s words) during all of your conversations. Be sure, if you think you need to be this connected, to read all of the legal documentation and make sure you feel confident that the risks you may be taking are outweighed by the benefits of having a “smarter,” more connected home.