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Recent reports from last week revealed that Amazon had thousands of workers listening to Amazon Echo voice assistant recordings, also called Alexa. It's a little annoying, however, this article will share several ways, including a serious DIY project, to increase your privacy.

I'll get right to the point here:

1. The first method of mute most voice assistant devices is to use the manual manual button. Some of us do not read the manual and are unaware that there are manual overrides. On Amazon Echo, when you press the microphone button, the outer ring turns red (Lord of the Rings metaphor?) And the device is not able to listen (or at least we think so). Google Home has a button on the side and the four dots at the top light up when they are off. In addition, it verbally indicates that the mic is turned on or off when you press the button (the echo does not).

Tweet this: If you've read the news that thousands of Amazon employees are listening to your Alexa voice commands, rest assured – here are 3 privacy options.

In addition, some reports indicate that you can turn off the sound of Google Home and Apple HomePod with a simple voice command of "mute the microphone" or "Stop listening". I do not have Apple HomePod, but the Google Home system simply replies to tell you where the button is on the device and tap it. I did not find any vocal convenience in the Amazon Echo settings, but that would be nice.

2 On the Echo, your home and contacts may be able to "jump" and start a conversation, such as a phone call, via two Echo devices. However, it is thought only on authorization. Some experts have suggested that a contact, as in the case of another Echo owner listed in your contact list, could simply listen to your conversations at home. To be completely sure, go to Communications in your Alexa app and adjust the "Drop In" setting to "My Household" or Off.

3 This is the most radical way (and the one I love) of turning off the Amazon Echo or Google Home microphone that I found: Project Alias. It's a total DIY that I've seen for the first time Hackaday. It takes a bit of electronic chops and patience, but many people have tried it. Essentially, the project uses a small speaker that generates a white noise that is stopped by a wake-up message that then allows your Alexa or Google Home order to be heard. So, if someone listened, all they would hear would be white noise. There would be a shared commercial version in Hackaday's comments. I am expecting to see more of these devices in the near future.

The results obtained with the people participating in this project are mixed. I would guess depending on the skill of the operator. I know that my electronics and welding skills in the US Air Force may be rusty. But the creator of Project Alias ​​has written a detailed Instructable file and provides GitHub files to those who are willing to try it. You need a Raspberry Pi Model 3 A + (around $ 25), access to a 3D printer and a few other items. I have not tried yet, but I work with courage.

By the way, if you are interested in DIY electronics and various DIY stuff like these, you should take a look at the 2019 Hackaday Award which offers some small and great prizes for creating a project like Alias ​​(although this was not a prior participation in the contest).

Well, let's get back to the news that brought this post. according to Bloomberg, "Amazon.com Inc. employs thousands of people worldwide to enhance Alexa's digital assistant who powers her Echo speaker line. The team listens to voice recordings captured in the homes and offices of Echo owners. The recordings are transcribed, annotated, and reintroduced into the software in order to eliminate the gaps in the understanding of human speech by Alexa and help her to better respond to orders. "

Before leaving, all Minority report In my opinion, part of this listening is simply to improve the product and only happens when you have asked Alexa to do something. To give us an idea of ​​the reality, Google Home, Apple's Siri, Google Assistant's Android Assistant, Facebook and many others have been expressly allowed, via their terms of service, to listen in different ways. Disconnecting completely is not easy (see the Kashmir Hill experience below). There are definitely some problems and mistakes that make some of these things even more disturbing.

Let me conclude with this: we have some degree of control over our privacy, despite the variety of articles shouting loudly. We decide what we let in or in our pockets with a smartphone. Indeed, we hope that big companies such as Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple will not betray our trust. In some areas they have and we have to hold them to account. I hope that more devices and applications will allow us to better control our data and settings in order to preserve our privacy with and on the devices. Until then, there is still the button off, but I know that this is also limited for the moment. I find myself thinking like Kim in his article below. Feel free to share any ideas about privacy with me while I explore other apps, options and settings.

Here are three great articles to give you some ideas on privacy:

This article by Kim Wetzel on digital trends deserves to be read, if you wonder what all this means in terms of privacy and wonderfully recalls what we allow in our acceptance of technology: Amazon workers who listen to Alexa records are not a big problem. here's why.

Here is the shocking reality of completely blocking Google from your life by Jason Evangelho here at Forbes (But the post talks about the Big 4 disconnection by Kashmir Hill).

Amazon workers listen to what you say Alexa (Bloomberg).

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Recent reports from last week revealed that Amazon had thousands of workers listening to Amazon Echo voice assistant recordings, also called Alexa. It's a little annoying, however, this article will share several ways, including a serious DIY project, to increase your privacy.

I'll get right to the point here:

1. The first method of mute most voice assistant devices is to use the manual manual button. Some of us do not read the manual and are unaware that there are manual overrides. On Amazon Echo, when you press the microphone button, the outer ring turns red (Lord of the Rings metaphor?) And the device is not able to listen (or at least we think so). Google Home has a button on the side and the four dots at the top light up when they are off. In addition, it verbally indicates that the mic is turned on or off when you press the button (the echo does not).

Tweet this: If you've read the news that thousands of Amazon employees are listening to your Alexa voice commands, rest assured – here are 3 privacy options.

In addition, some reports indicate that you can turn off the sound of Google Home and Apple HomePod with a simple voice command of "mute the microphone" or "Stop listening". I do not have Apple HomePod, but the Google Home system simply replies to tell you where the button is on the device and tap it. I did not find any vocal convenience in the Amazon Echo settings, but that would be nice.

2 On the Echo, your home and contacts may be able to "jump" and start a conversation, such as a phone call, via two Echo devices. However, it is thought only on authorization. Some experts have suggested that a contact, as in the case of another Echo owner listed in your contact list, could simply listen to your conversations at home. To be completely sure, go to Communications in your Alexa app and adjust the "Drop In" setting to "My Household" or Off.

3 This is the most radical way (and the one I love) of turning off the Amazon Echo or Google Home microphone that I found: Project Alias. It's a total DIY that I've seen for the first time Hackaday. It takes a bit of electronic chops and patience, but many people have tried it. Essentially, the project uses a small speaker that generates a white noise that is stopped by a wake-up message that then allows your Alexa or Google Home order to be heard. So, if someone listened, all they would hear would be white noise. There would be a shared commercial version in Hackaday's comments. I am expecting to see more of these devices in the near future.

The results obtained with the people participating in this project are mixed. I would guess depending on the skill of the operator. I know that my electronics and welding skills in the US Air Force may be rusty. But the creator of Project Alias ​​has written a detailed Instructable file and provides GitHub files to those who are willing to try it. You need a Raspberry Pi Model 3 A + (around $ 25), access to a 3D printer and a few other items. I have not tried yet, but I work with courage.

By the way, if you are interested in DIY electronics and various DIY stuff like these, you should take a look at the 2019 Hackaday Award which offers some small and great prizes for creating a project like Alias ​​(although this was not a prior participation in the contest).

Well, let's get back to the news that brought this post. according to Bloomberg, "Amazon.com Inc. employs thousands of people worldwide to enhance Alexa's digital assistant who powers her Echo speaker line. The team listens to voice recordings captured in the homes and offices of Echo owners. The recordings are transcribed, annotated, and reintroduced into the software in order to eliminate the gaps in the understanding of human speech by Alexa and help her to better respond to orders. "

Before leaving, all Minority report In my opinion, part of this listening is simply to improve the product and only happens when you have asked Alexa to do something. To give us an idea of ​​the reality, Google Home, Apple's Siri, Google Assistant's Android Assistant, Facebook and many others have been expressly allowed, via their terms of service, to listen in different ways. Disconnecting completely is not easy (see the Kashmir Hill experience below). There are definitely some problems and mistakes that make some of these things even more disturbing.

Let me conclude with this: we have some degree of control over our privacy, despite the variety of articles shouting loudly. We decide what we let in or in our pockets with a smartphone. Indeed, we hope that big companies such as Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple will not betray our trust. In some areas they have and we have to hold them to account. I hope that more devices and applications will allow us to better control our data and settings in order to preserve our privacy with and on the devices. Until then, there is still the button off, but I know that this is also limited for the moment. I find myself thinking like Kim in his article below. Feel free to share any ideas about privacy with me while I explore other apps, options and settings.

Here are three great articles to give you some ideas on privacy:

This article by Kim Wetzel on digital trends deserves to be read, if you wonder what all this means in terms of privacy and wonderfully recalls what we allow in our acceptance of technology: Amazon workers who listen to Alexa records are not a big problem. here's why.

Here is the shocking reality of completely blocking Google from your life by Jason Evangelho here at Forbes (But the post talks about the Big 4 disconnection by Kashmir Hill).

Amazon workers listen to what you say Alexa (Bloomberg).