--Alexa, what are you hiding from us?--

Me: ok, Google. Are you a spy for the CIA?
Google home: I've gotta admit, I'm not sure.

Got a few other weird, but generally benign responses to a bevy of CIA related questions.
What the heck have we gotten ourselves into....?

originally posted by: fencesitter85
My god you people are paranoid as hell.

Let's say for a minute the CIA wanted to listen to you ranting over your microwave meal for one about how Obama is a Muslim - why the hell would functionality be built into alexa which makes it totally fail to respond when asked this question? It's an absolute 100% given that conspiracy nuts would ask it this question.

This is a non-story.

LOL Paranoid ..

Yeah then why was there a Video that went Viral of a Woman asking if Echo was connected to the CIA
and Shuts Down then ATS Members Tried it with there Echo and and Alexa does the Same thing to them .
comfirmed by ATS Members ... that Have the Device ..

then after it went Viral

All of a Sudden Amazon places a Update and had changed the Shut down to the Answer I work for Amazon

LOL... Alexa Skip the Subject !! Apparently Connected and Work means the Same thing to Alexa.

must of been orders of the Big Boss Elites..

a reply to: dashen
I just asked Google home, for both FBI and CIA she says no government entities are provided you information.. see our privacy policy at blah blah blah or similar.

originally posted by: Wolfenz

originally posted by: fencesitter85
My god you people are paranoid as hell.

Let's say for a minute the CIA wanted to listen to you ranting over your microwave meal for one about how Obama is a Muslim - why the hell would functionality be built into alexa which makes it totally fail to respond when asked this question? It's an absolute 100% given that conspiracy nuts would ask it this question.

This is a non-story.

LOL Paranoid ..

Yeah then why was there a Video that went Viral of a Woman asking if Echo was connected to the CIA
and Shuts Down then ATS Members Tried it with there Echo and and Alexa does the Same thing to them .
comfirmed by ATS Members ... that Have the Device ..

then after it went Viral

All of a Sudden Amazon places a Update and had changed the Shut down to the Answer I work for Amazon

LOL... Alexa Skip the Subject !! Apparently Connected and Work means the Same thing to Alexa.

must of been orders of the Big Boss Elites..

Read what I wrote.

Too paranoid.. imo. Even if (though?) all info is being recorded.. by virtue of the NSA having data collecting devices before it reaches your ISP.. do you think anyone is looking at it? Naw.

Going forward, expect no privacy. Sad.. but true. But they can't actually look at all the data they collect. Would be utterly impossible. It is stored.. in case they need to search.

Alexa is the least of your worries.

I've never known why anyone would want one of this in the first place. the world is getting so lazy people can't be bothered to look things up for themselves any more

If I made Alexa I'd make her so she replies with sarcastic answers
"Alexa what's the weather today"
Alexa would answer with "why don't you go outside and look up"

They are just a fancy peice of kit that people feel like they must own because it's the newest thing out. I'd never ever ever own one of these, not because of the spying issue but because I'd like to think I have half a brain and actually use it when I need to find something out

Siri vs Alexa who wins?
a reply to: dashen

originally posted by: Konduit

originally posted by: Tranceopticalinclined
Wow, that's amazing.

And yes, I was one of those duct tape camera cover uppers.

Hey man, everybody does it, especially those in-the-know.

a reply to: ColdWisdom

What is that little black square where is microphone is on the laptop?

Did he just put tape over the mic?

Seems like it would be better to just open up the laptop and disconnect the microphone all together.

Nothing can save you!!

Security researchers can turn headphones into microphones

Security researchers at Israel’s Ben Gurion University have created a proof-of-concept exploit that lets them turn headphones into microphones to secretly record conversations. The PoC, called “Speake(a)r,” first turned headphones connected to a PC into microphones and then tested the quality of sound recorded by a microphone vs. headphones on a target PC. In short, the headphones were nearly as good as an unpowered microphone at picking up audio in a room.

PDF: Download
I may even make a thread about it.

originally posted by: ThePeaceMaker
I've never known why anyone would want one of this in the first place. the world is getting so lazy people can't be bothered to look things up for themselves any more

If I made Alexa I'd make her so she replies with sarcastic answers
"Alexa what's the weather today"
Alexa would answer with "why don't you go outside and look up"

They are just a fancy peice of kit that people feel like they must own because it's the newest thing out. I'd never ever ever own one of these, not because of the spying issue but because I'd like to think I have half a brain and actually use it when I need to find something out

Yeah! And while we're at it, how LAZY is driving a car when you can just have a horse? And using an oven when you could just get a fire going! And using running water when you could just go down to the river with a bucket! Lazy liberals!!

a reply to: TarzanBeta

I'm boring for stating fact? Interesting

originally posted by: fencesitter85
My god you people are paranoid as hell.

Let's say for a minute the CIA wanted to listen to you ranting over your microwave meal for one about how Obama is a Muslim - why the hell would functionality be built into alexa which makes it totally fail to respond when asked this question?

Let's say in 6 years whoever is in the WH has sufficiently exerted full authority over the intelligence community.

The Intelligence Community under the dictate to compete well in the ever emerging and ever more important cyber-war battlefield has developed and optimized it's hacks and backdoors to the "Internet of Things" apparatus....Phones, Health Trackers, Home assistants like Google Home and Alexia, interactive media browsers on TV's, home security systems and camera's etc.

At present those vulnerabilities are only being exploited for specific intelligence targets...

But as the Snowden Leak proved...there is utility in store-housing data.
The advantage to store-housed data at large is...once a potential terrorist, spy etc. is identified. You can look BACKWARDS and see what they were doing last week, last month, last year...vs. only seeing what they do tomorrow.
THAT is why the NSA was storing data on everyone in a mass-surveillance operation. Storing data is becoming ever cheaper and easier.

Apply that model to IOT (Internet of Everything)...Identify a suspect...look back at their...Health the past year? Distance walked and when? Heart-rate? Sleep Patterns? Hear audio excerpts from their home audio devices? Store: Keyword Trigger? Store video..

Let's say in an authoritarian regime...How could this be used to track, monitor and disrupt opposition? Could AI be deployed to asses public sentiment?

Paranoid?...Yes...but should we not pay attention until that paranoia is justified.

Last October...Some unknown hacking entity (Some suspect China) did the first known test run in the USA of an IOT exploit.

Hacked home devices caused massive Internet outage
The software uses malware from phishing emails to first infect a computer or home network, then spreads to everything on it, taking over DVRs, cable set-top boxes, routers and even Internet-connected cameras used by stores and businesses for surveillance.

www.usatoday.com...

Home Security Camera's?
Thinking of buying a security camera? Read this first

Security cameras aren’t all that secure

Most security cameras and their software aren’t built with computer security in mind. None of the vendors could provide me with a clear understanding of code reviews and penetration testing. In fact, most of my security inquiries were met with befuddlement.

www.infoworld.com...

Just saying...We might very well wake up sometime in the future where our government is executing an NSA collection program around our home devices...not just phones..and that data can be sourced for all kinds of political purposes, not just criminal investigations.

you should be asking alexa about the FBI, the CIA spies on foreign agents

originally posted by: MotherMayEye
a reply to: dashen

I asked Siri on my iPhone if she was connected to the CIA and she answered it with a question!!!

"Who, me?"

Diabolical.


ETA: Same answer, BTW, when I ask, "Siri, do you spy for the CIA?"

I just tried that with mine. Same answer....weird. Then if I ask if the CIA is listening to this I get one of those "can I search the web for that?"
One time I was sitting talking to a friend and Siri seemed to have come on by herself. I thought maybe I bumped it or something....

Oh lets just not bother - forget flushing toilets and electricity - no one could spy before .... oh wait they did ?
Hmmm seems spying is a little older than the USA - actually most things are (sorry guys) - its a thing that happens - if you dont accept it don't do wrong therefore nothing to worry about ?

originally posted by: fencesitter85

originally posted by: ThePeaceMaker
I've never known why anyone would want one of this in the first place. the world is getting so lazy people can't be bothered to look things up for themselves any more

If I made Alexa I'd make her so she replies with sarcastic answers
"Alexa what's the weather today"
Alexa would answer with "why don't you go outside and look up"

They are just a fancy peice of kit that people feel like they must own because it's the newest thing out. I'd never ever ever own one of these, not because of the spying issue but because I'd like to think I have half a brain and actually use it when I need to find something out

Yeah! And while we're at it, how LAZY is driving a car when you can just have a horse? And using an oven when you could just get a fire going! And using running water when you could just go down to the river with a bucket! Lazy liberals!!

Ah come on you know what I meant no need to take it to extremes. Actually I'd find riding a horse and living off my own back a lot more better than having to rely on such simple things. But with the likes of Alexa I don't think it would do no harm if we encouraged people to pick up and book and have read rather than rely on pressing a button to get what we need. You make a fair point which I'll agree with but do we really need a automated voice to tell us to book an appointment or to tell us what the weather doing for the day. I'm slowly coming to the conclusions that future life everyone will depend on having information at their finger tips. What would happen if we lost all of that and had to go back to basics.

originally posted by: fencesitter85

originally posted by: Wolfenz

originally posted by: fencesitter85
My god you people are paranoid as hell.

Let's say for a minute the CIA wanted to listen to you ranting over your microwave meal for one about how Obama is a Muslim - why the hell would functionality be built into alexa which makes it totally fail to respond when asked this question? It's an absolute 100% given that conspiracy nuts would ask it this question.

This is a non-story.

LOL Paranoid ..

Yeah then why was there a Video that went Viral of a Woman asking if Echo was connected to the CIA
and Shuts Down then ATS Members Tried it with there Echo and and Alexa does the Same thing to them .
comfirmed by ATS Members ... that Have the Device ..

then after it went Viral

All of a Sudden Amazon places a Update and had changed the Shut down to the Answer I work for Amazon

LOL... Alexa Skip the Subject !! Apparently Connected and Work means the Same thing to Alexa.

must of been orders of the Big Boss Elites..

Read what I wrote.

why the hell would functionality be built into alexa which makes it totally fail to respond when asked this question? It's an absolute 100% given that conspiracy nuts would ask it this question.

Why would it just be 100% Conspiracy NUTS ???

if they did .. know...

I would think they would of made a Humorous Response instead of a Shutdown

Dont ya think??

or perhaps its intentional..

as I said before what wasnt, was the Pentium III Code Gateway backdoor builtin program the was within the process , that was activate from a different program

DebateTopic : Intel recently issued a new CPU (Pentium III) with a unique ID number that could be used for intellectual property protection, marketing, etc. The ID number can be configured to be visible or invisible to applications, including Web br
courses.ischool.berkeley.edu...


Big Brother Inside ( a site dedicated about PSN )
bigbrotherinside.org...



After Intel Chip's Debut, Critics Step Up Attack
By JERI CLAUSING Bio
1999

Sobel, of EPIC, said his group on Wednesday sent out more than a dozen letters to government agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Commerce, requesting "copies of all agency records concerning, discussing or relating to proposals and/or techniques for imbedding unique identifiers in computer chips in order to identify a particular computer. This request includes, but is not limited to, any records concerning Intel Corporation's decision to include a unique Processor Serial Number [PSN] in every one of its Pentium III chips."

politics.nytimes.com...


and here we have it when Microsoft got busted in 99

Windows ID numbers – how they work
The strange tale of the bug Microsoft has been calling a useful feature...
8 Mar 1999 at 08:49, John Lettice
www.theregister.co.uk...

Microsoft yesterday described this as a bug in the software, but the company's privacy policy, parts of which were published here in yesterday's story, makes it clear that it's no bug -- it's quite intentional, and Microsoft has been upfront about it (albeit in a document hardly anyone's going to bother reading). The number is used to generate unique identification numbers for Microsoft Office documents created on the machine. These numbers are embedded in the documents themselves, which means they can be 'fingerprinted' -- ever send somebody a file anonymously? Maybe you didn't after all. If the machine doesn't have an Ethernet adapter, a dummy number is used. This is -- allegedly -- common to all non-networked Windows 98 machines, so it shouldn't be possible to use it to trace documents. But if the mechanisms for processing unique identification numbers exist, then clearly Microsoft is going to make the numbers unique -- unless the appalling publicity puts it off the idea. A unique number system, quite possibly incorporating the Pentium III identifier, is an obvious next step for Windows 2000, particularly as Microsoft wants to introduce universal registration, or possibly even the infamous 'software rental' model by that point.

Intel on Privacy: ‘Whoops!’
www.wired.com...



www.youtube.com...


( anything is possible with I cloud )

Even your toaster is about to be smarter than you
Aaron Cohen, Cohen Communications and Brand Agency@cohencomms September 21, 2016 2:10 PM

venturebeat.com...

a reply to: Kettu

Its not people listening, its computers. They listen for words and phrases.

You have to know this already....

a reply to: dashen

originally posted by: Silk
Oh lets just not bother - forget flushing toilets and electricity - no one could spy before .... oh wait they did ?
Hmmm seems spying is a little older than the USA - actually most things are (sorry guys) - its a thing that happens - if you dont accept it don't do wrong therefore nothing to worry about ?

Fourth Amendment defines the space of Liberty. You don't understand.

Who's side are you on? Who do you work for?

a reply to: AnkhMorpork

lol! wtf?
why?