Amazon Alexa, Ring doorbell, Nest thermometer – which electronic gift was placed under your tree this holiday season?  As smart devices continue to grow in popularity, how much do we know really about the information that is being collected and who has access to keep it, or more importantly, share it.

To reduce some of the snooping that could potentially happen with your new toy, review some of these tips to reduce everyday eavesdropping from some of your favorite devices.

  • Amazon Echo/Alexa
    Many smart-speaker owners don’t realize it, but Amazon keeps a copy of everything Alexa records after it hears its name.  The easiest way to avoid this is to disable the microphone.  All Echo devices have a microphone button that you can turn on and off.  When the button is pressed, the power to the microphones is disconnected and a red light is illuminated.   There are also options to review and delete your voice recordings.
  • Google Products – Home, Home Mini, Nest Mini, Home Max and Nest Wifi
    If you want to stop Google Home from “always-listening”, look for the button on the back of the speaker. It’s the only button, and it has a microphone on it. Press it and Home will turn off the microphone (four amber lights will light up on top). Press it again, and it’ll tell you the microphone is on.  The same process holds true for Nest devices.

Is the risk of compromise worth the reward associated with the convenience of smart devices?
If you feel yes, our recommendation is you take the extra 5-10 minutes during set up to review the device default settings.  Many of these items default towards collection and sharing, but you have the option to adjust settings to turn some of this data sharing off.  In addition, consider turning off the device microphone when not actively using.

Want to learn more?  Check out these resources for more info:
https://www.wired.com/story/alexa-google-assistant-echo-smart-speaker-privacy-controls/
https://www.nbcnews.com/better/lifestyle/downside-connected-tech-are-smart-devices-your-home-spying-you-ncna1101906
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/12/31/stop-google-home-amazon-echo-facebook-portal-listening/2777408001/