“I Always Feel Like Somebody’s Watching Me… And I Have No Privacy”

When I was watching the TED talks regarding online privacy, I immediately thought about the song “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell. 

“Who’s watching? Tell me, who’s watching? Who’s watching me?”

These are some of the questions that I think we, as users of the Internet, should be asking ourselves. I think it’s incredibly naive of us to assume that the government doesn’t see what we read, watch, and search. 

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One of the best examples of privacy violations through technology is Amazon’s Alexa. Launched in 2014, Alexa was a way for users to get information rapidly, ranging from the weather, grocery lists, and playing music. I remember how excited my dad was while unboxing our Alexa. It was new and innovative. We couldn’t wait to learn all of the tips and tricks that came along with it. 

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What could go wrong with a device that’s “always on”? 

Practically everything. 

Alexa is Amazon’s “Big Brother” device. As we know, Amazon’s control over our lives is astounding. We rely on Amazon for quick service, music, movies, groceries… you get the idea. With a net worth of almost $320 billion, it’s safe to say that Amazon has heavily influenced each and every one of us, even if we don’t think it has. Amazon claims that Alexa is only turned on when you use the wake word or say similar words that sound like "Alexa"(Is Alexa Always Listening?). I don't think that this is the case. The fact that you have to go in and manually delete what Alexa records sounds fishy to me. Amazon wants you to trust them, as they want your capital. As soon as Alexa is done completing a request, the words should be deleted. Even then, where do those words go?

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“Hey, Alexa-turn on the television.”

Alexa turns on the television and seems to know exactly what you want to watch. How does she do that? It’s not magic. It’s surveillance. You say casually to your friend, "I love watching "Wheel of Fortune" with my grandparents every night at 7 p.m." Alexa picks up on that, and stores it in her database. Even when Alexa isn’t called, the device continuously listens to what you say. I find this extremely problematic. Sometimes it seems like we really can’t have a moment to ourselves, alone and free from listeners. 

I can think of multiple times where my family’s Alexa has spoken without us summoning her. It almost feels like there’s a real person trapped inside of there, and those “slip-ups” are the person forgetting that they’re supposed to be undercover. 

This video demonstrates the ease in which Alexa can listen to our conversations and manipulate what we actually want to happen. A young girl was speaking to her Alexa and asked the device to order her a dollhouse (one that was nearly $200). While covering this story on the morning news, a news anchor said “Alexa, order me a dollhouse”. This statement triggered residents’ Alexas who were watching the broadcast that morning, and complaints came flooding into the studio. Alexa doesn’t just cater to your voice. She caters to any voice. Again, this should be concerning for anyone who owns an Alexa. She’s always listening. 

As for my family, we still have our Alexa. However, we only plug it in when we want to utilize the device to play music, often when sitting around our kitchen table playing cards. However, as soon as the winner is declared and the cards are put away, her cord, the bridge between our privacy and Amazon, is taken out. I urge people to think about how innocent they are in regard to this type of technology. We deserve to maintain our privacy.

Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9mRl9tW3kE

https://www.amazon.com/is-alexa-always-listening/b?ie=UTF8&node=21137869011

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yXTSSTOuAo