Google smart speakers secretly updated to listen for more than wake words

Google smart speakers secretly updated to listen for more than wake words

Google Home smart speakers, the company dryly warns in a note buried deep on a support page, can "incorrectly" record their users even when they haven't first said an activating wake phrase like "hey, Google." It just so happens that, at least for a brief period of time this summer, those microphone-enabled devices were doing exactly that. 

The company admitted Monday, following a report by Protocol, that it had updated an unspecified number of Google Assistant-enabled devices to respond to auditory cues beyond the user-specified wake phrase. Google told Protocol this was a mistake that was quickly fixed, but did not appear to address the larger privacy concerns that such a mistake signifies. After all, how are users supposed to trust a live microphone in their home if someone can remotely update it to be even more invasive without their knowledge? Read more...

More about Google Assistant, Google Home, Smart Speakers, Tech, and Big Tech Companies

from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/google-assistant-microphone-smoke-alarm/
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