{"id":174010,"date":"2021-02-09T09:40:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-09T06:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/is-my-smart-speaker-always-listening-to-me\/"},"modified":"2021-02-09T09:40:00","modified_gmt":"2021-02-09T06:40:00","slug":"is-my-smart-speaker-always-listening-to-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/is-my-smart-speaker-always-listening-to-me\/","title":{"rendered":"#Is My Smart Speaker Always Listening to Me?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a37351c1243f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a37351c1243f\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/is-my-smart-speaker-always-listening-to-me\/#Listening_vs_Recording\" >Listening vs. Recording<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/is-my-smart-speaker-always-listening-to-me\/#How_Does_That_Work\" >How Does That Work?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/is-my-smart-speaker-always-listening-to-me\/#What_Happens_to_These_Recordings\" >What Happens to These Recordings?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#Is My Smart Speaker Always Listening to Me?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-711609 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/smart-speaker-listening.png\" alt=\"Google home mini speech bubbles\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" data-credittext=\"Google\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Google<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and Google Nest Mini can make life easier, but they also present some privacy concerns. Doesn\u2019t a device that responds to voice commands need to be listening <em>all the time<\/em>? Let\u2019s talk about that.<\/p>\n<p>If you think about how a smart speaker or smart display works, logic would tell you that they need to be constantly listening. After all, how can your device hear your \u201cAlexa\u201d or \u201cHey Google\u201d command if it\u2019s not listening? Well, you\u2019re right. These devices <em>are<\/em> always listening, but it\u2019s not as scary as it sounds.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Listening_vs_Recording\"><\/span>Listening vs. Recording<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When people hear that smart speakers are always listening, what they\u2019re really afraid of is the possibility that the smart speaker is always <em>recording<\/em> them. That\u2019s how humans listen, but that\u2019s not what\u2019s h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ening with smart speakers. This is an important distinction to make.<\/p>\n<p>When you listen to someone talk, you are essentially making a recording of the information in your brain. You remember what the person said and you can access it later. However, if you\u2019re not paying attention, the information doesn\u2019t register in your brain. The person asks, \u201cWhat did I just say?\u201d, and you don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n<p>This is similar to how a smart speaker works. It\u2019s always listening, but nothing registers until it hears the \u201cAlexa\u201d or \u201cHey Google\u201d wake-up commands. Only then will it record and take action on what you\u2019re saying. Without those wake-up commands, anything you say is \u201cin one ear and out the other,\u201d so to speak.<\/p>\n<p>Another way to think of this is to imagine how a dog understands you. The dog hears everything you say, but it only understands certain phrases. Hearing is not the same as understanding, just like listening is not the same as recording.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Does_That_Work\"><\/span>How Does That Work?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s pretty cool that these devices are programmed to listen for certain words and phrases, but how does that actually work? Unsurprisingly, it\u2019s pretty complicated and very interesting.<\/p>\n<p>There are a few things at play here. It\u2019s a combination of hardware, software, and the internet. We took an in-depth look at\u00a0how Alexa listens for wake-up commands, but we\u2019ll paraphrase a bit here.<\/p>\n<p>First, these devices typically have multiple microphones inside. An Echo Dot, for example, has seven microphones. This helps the speaker hear commands from up close and far away as well as in noisy environments. All of these microphones work together to pinpoint your voice.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to actually recognizing the wake-up command, Amazon uses neural network training. It trains an algorithm by feeding it a bunch of different instances of the word \u201cAlexa.\u201d Google Assistant does something similar.<\/p>\n<p>Every time you say a word, it\u2019s run through algorithms to figure out whether it matches the speech pattern associated with the wake-up command. This all happens locally on your device. Only after it has passed through several layers of detection does it begin to record and send the audio to the cloud.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How Alexa Listens for Wake Words<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Happens_to_These_Recordings\"><\/span>What Happens to These Recordings?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Hopefully, we\u2019ve eased some of your concerns about listening, but what about recordings? That\u2019s still a scary aspect for a lot of people, knowing that every question and command you give is recorded and stored somewhere.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon and Google deal with these recordings in slightly different ways. Both allow you to see what exactly has been recorded, and you can delete the recordings at any time. However, Google offers more privacy tools.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Delete Your Alexa Recordings by Voice<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In August of 2020, Google <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/49763\/google-would-like-you-to-opt-in-your-voice-recordings-to-human-reviewers-please\/\">stopped storing audio recordings by default<\/a>. Users can still opt-in to having their recordings stored, but it\u2019s purely optional. Google also has the ability to auto-delete recordings when they get old.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How (and Why) to Opt-In to Google Recording Storage<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Amazon\u2019s options aren\u2019t as good. You can\u2019t turn off voice recordings completely, and there\u2019s no way to auto-delete old recordings. The only thing you can do is delete recordings with a voice command or do it manually.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Listen to (and Delete) Every Command You&#8217;ve Ever Given to Alexa<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In some cases, employees and contractors at companies like Amazon, Google, Apple, and Microsoft are listening to your voice recordings. However, you still have control. Here\u2019s how to stop human beings from hearing your voice assistant recordings.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Stop Companies From Listening to Your Voice Assistant Recordings<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How Google Protects Your Privacy if You Choose to Save Audio Data\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oqmcvxzbRJs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>The truth is that you have to give up some privacy to use these virtual assistant smart devices. However, these companies have tools in place to minimize the privacy risks. You should take advantage of those tools.<\/p>\n<p>The moral of the story is that these devices aren\u2019t as scary as you might think. They aren\u2019t always recording and uploading whatever you say\u2014but they do keep some recordings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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Doesn\u2019t a device that responds to voice commands need to be listening all the time? Let\u2019s talk about that. If you think about how a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":174011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/smart-speaker-listening.png?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-174010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174010\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}