Smart Speakers

“Just the list for people in a hurry…”

Note: This is not a substitute for the full article.

It's a just the list of things to know about smart speakers.

  Smart speakers can do cool stuff like play music, do search engine queries, and control smart home devices

  They're made by several companies, including Amazon, Apple, Google, Sonos, and Bose

  They work by listening for a “wake up” phrase like “Hey, Siri”, “OK, Google”, or “Alexa”

  The security risk is that their microphones potentially could be listening and recording without your knowledge

  Audio and non-audio data could be sent to the manufacturer and used for purposes you did not agree to

        Audio data is the stuff you say and other things picked up by the speakers like the TV shows you're watching

        Non-audio data is stuff like quiet periods when you might not be home and the times various home devices are turned on or off

  Another risk is that malicious software could be installed, giving hackers the ability to listen in

  Owners of smart speakers need to determine their comfort level between the device's convenience and its privacy risks

  To be safer, you can keep the speaker powered down when you're not actively using it

  To be much safer, you can use another device to reduce the chances the speaker is listening without your knowledge

Please read the article for details. If you're confused by anything let us know so we can help.