# Privacy and Google Home device



## lenarenee (Dec 2, 2018)

Has anyone looked deeply into the privacy issues of this device?  A few years ago found some troubling things about Alexa (like digitizing/storing all conversations who's access was controlled by hired contactors - thereby privacy practices could change at the drop of a hat!)


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## msunnerstood (Dec 2, 2018)

These devices have to be listening at all times so that when you say the prompt, they respond. Recently there has been a lot of news about law enforcement sending warrants to these companies for recordings. I think its unlikely that a person would tell Alexa about them doing something wrong so I think its safe to say these things are always recording.  Now think about how often you might joke around with family in your own home thinking its just between you and them and how those recordings could be misinterpreted by others.

Nope, I will never own one and I don't activate google assistant on my phone either.


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## NsMar42111 (Dec 2, 2018)

This is exactly why I eye Portal and all of those with suspicion.... too close to 1984s world for my taste. I wouldn't trust it personally. That said, you could just unplug it when you're not actively using it if you wanted some of the features


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## Lin19687 (Dec 3, 2018)

Won't ever have one.  Bad enough I need it in the car and it doesn't work 1/2 the time.


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## IrishLass (Dec 3, 2018)

Ditto what the others have said. I eye these types of devices/services with great suspicion and refuse to have one in my house. And like Msunnerstood, I don't even activate the assistant on my smart phone.


IrishLass


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## amd (Dec 3, 2018)

I don't have the assistant activated on my phone, but I'm positive it's spying on me. It seems very coincidental that random topics hubby and I discuss suddenly pop up as adverts. Example from this weekend, discussing Christmas gifts for the kids. I mentioned that the daughter wants a robe, and mused if I would be able to find a panda robe. First ad that popped up on my phone later that day... panda robes.


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## IrishLass (Dec 3, 2018)

Creepy!


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## madison (Dec 3, 2018)

Without activation, almost anything I say in my home I get it popping up in my phone, my computer desk and my hubby's laptop, and in the email.  One time I was visiting one of my friends in another state, we were talking about her friend who has a personal trainer, I checked my phone to find out the personal trainer ads are popping up, it happened during the talk in one hour visit.


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## SaltedFig (Dec 3, 2018)

The generational difference in how privacy is viewed is quite remarkable. Embedded facial recognition in social media, gaming consoles with visual and voice, IoT everything and camera's everywhere ... all "normal".

Our (Australian) government recently blocked a tech giant from involvement in sensitive government contracts, including development of our next generation mobile network (news story).

Got an automatic vacuum cleaner? You might like to read this


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## amd (Dec 3, 2018)

So... I need to stop telling Rudy the Roomba to stay out of the "meth lab"... oh dear. Just kidding. I don't have a roomba... 
That's interesting to know, my husband has been discussing getting one ever since he was attacked by the third cat (dust bunny, it was a dust bunny).


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## Lin19687 (Dec 3, 2018)

hahaha I have the Neato (like the roomba)...  "Martin" cleans the Lab all the time  hahahah


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## jcandleattic (Dec 3, 2018)

amd said:


> I don't have the assistant activated on my phone, but I'm positive it's spying on me


THEY SO ARE!! I agree, to many random conversations (that I have never really had before) all of a sudden pop up in the ads. Creepy and eerie!!


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## Lye-h20-oil (Dec 3, 2018)

amd said:


> I don't have the assistant activated on my phone, but I'm positive it's spying on me. It seems very coincidental that random topics hubby and I discuss suddenly pop up as adverts. Example from this weekend, discussing Christmas gifts for the kids. I mentioned that the daughter wants a robe, and mused if I would be able to find a panda robe. First ad that popped up on my phone later that day... panda robes.


I beleive this. I feel myself pulling away from the materialism more and more and I wouldnt be surprised if
Other people are noticing the ridiculous spending that goes on in households. This is true in your face and in your private business stuff. I stopped posting on FB over a year ago because I noticed they were watching my google searches and sending me ads on the topic, plus it's just weird to communicate exclusively with people you know online. All of the information we post anywhere can and will be used for us or against us.


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## Lin19687 (Dec 4, 2018)

And this is another reason I do almost nothing on my phone... ie: Banking ! or anything else I have to use a password and has my personal info on.
You can NOT opt out of these apps seeing everything, if you do then they don't work.
Which is a poopy way around it I think.

I like the puter better, I can control a bit more on it.


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## LBussy (Dec 4, 2018)

I'm on a quest to go "Google Free".  I mean Google is awesome, and I don't do anything that I'm actually concerned about, but I am a private person by nature.  Once you start actually PAYING for all of the things you get basically for free from Google, you realize how much money your information is worth.

One easy thing you can all do to give Google less about you is to use Startpage.com as your search engine.  They forward the search to Google and return it back to you, but Google does not know it's you.  If you are a REAL geek, go to Startpage.com and click on the "How we protect you" link at the bottom and read from there.


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## IrishLass (Dec 4, 2018)

Lin19687 said:


> I like the puter better, I can control a bit more on it.



That's what we thought too, until just the day before yesterday. Hubby went to Google on our PC to look up Open Table in order to look up a local fancy hotel restaurant just to see if they had any open seating on Christmas Day, and the next thing you know he gets an e-mail from the hotel on our PC....... yes- an _e-mail....._ even though he didn't give Open Table or the hotel his e-mail addy. The content of the e-mail was one of those 'Book a tour' type of invites. Very creepy!



LBussy said:


> One easy thing you can all do to give Google less about you is to use Startpage.com as your search engine.  They forward the search to Google and return it back to you, but Google does not know it's you.  If you are a REAL geek, go to Startpage.com and click on the "How we protect you" link at the bottom and read from there.



Will definitely be looking into that!


IrishLass


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## Steve85569 (Dec 4, 2018)

Too late for me.
 I'm already on several lists.
It's nearly impossible for me to fly - even though I volunteer with local law enforcement and I am also a firearms instructor.

We are all being watched.
Privacy is a thing of the past. 
The local county uses drones to "survey" my property lines. 
Sure they do...


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## Dennis (Dec 4, 2018)

My millennial son, a newly graduated engineer and quite savvy in this digital age, refuses to have anything to do with smart tv, alexa, or anything else electronic in his abode.  He disables his cell phone at times. They all look and listen and locate according to him.  His millennial sister is quite the opposite.



LBussy said:


> I'm on a quest to go "Google Free".  I mean Google is awesome, and I don't do anything that I'm actually concerned about, but I am a private person by nature.  Once you start actually PAYING for all of the things you get basically for free from Google, you realize how much money your information is worth.
> 
> One easy thing you can all do to give Google less about you is to use Startpage.com as your search engine.  They forward the search to Google and return it back to you, but Google does not know it's you.  If you are a REAL geek, go to Startpage.com and click on the "How we protect you" link at the bottom and read from there.



You juked the little bit of real geek in me.  I went to startpage.com and read everything.  It is now my default search engine.  Thanks for the info.


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## Sdoap (Dec 5, 2018)

Dennis said:


> You juked the little bit of real geek in me.  I went to startpage.com and read everything.  It is now my default search engine.  Thanks for the info.


You might also want to check out Duck Duck Go dot com. They say they do not track.


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## LBussy (Dec 5, 2018)

They are similar, but the URLs are not obfuscated.  Do a couple searches with Duck Duck Go and then a couple with StartPage.  After that check your browser history to see the difference.  

The URL is passed visibly to the search provider even using HTTPS so any “bad actor” can tell what you are searching for.


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## Dennis (Dec 6, 2018)

LBussy said:


> They are similar, but the URLs are not obfuscated.  Do a couple searches with Duck Duck Go and then a couple with StartPage.  After that check your browser history to see the difference.
> 
> The URL is passed visibly to the search provider even using HTTPS so any “bad actor” can tell what you are searching for.



You know, this is all well and good but it reminds me of the old joke about surviving a bear attack by being able to run faster than your partner.  Most bad actors will go after the easy targets first.  At least I hope that's the way it is.


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## LBussy (Dec 6, 2018)

I used to feel that way.  Being involved in a large government IT project has changed my way of thinking.  People gather *everything* they can and post it in places for others to do bad with it.  Unless you train yourself to do the small things to protect your privacy all the time, you can assume you have none any of the time. 

It’s the aggregate of your online presence that’s most important. What I learn from you over time tells me a lot more than a single transaction.   

What are the chances of something bad happening?  Admittedly small.  If you have ever purchased a lottery ticket in the hope that you would win, you’ve hoped *for* something that has a fraction of the chance that something bad happening with your online data has.  

I mean don’t even get me talking about re-using passwords on multiple sites .... eesh!


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## Lin19687 (Dec 6, 2018)

And also remember that NO ONE needs your SS# but your JOB, Bank and Gov.
Any Dr. Office that asks tell them no (unless you have Medicare then your # is the ss#).

Anyone else, tell them no too.  If they say you can't do it/Have it, then you Don't Need it.
 I had to explain this to my DS and soon to my DD so theft doesn't happen to them


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## Susie (Dec 6, 2018)

Lin19687 said:


> And also remember that NO ONE needs your SS# but your JOB, Bank and Gov.
> Any Dr. Office that asks tell them no (unless you have Medicare then your # is the ss#).
> 
> Anyone else, tell them no too.  If they say you can't do it/Have it, then you Don't Need it.
> I had to explain this to my DS and soon to my DD so theft doesn't happen to them



I always ask them if there is another form of identification out of an abundance of caution.  

I am so glad I am not the only person paranoid about all the "smart" devices.  No Alexa, smart TV, etc.  I only use things I can control their access to communication to the outside world.  I just wish the TomTom and other GPS devices kept up with road changes and conditions as well as Google so I could avoid using that in the car.  (Yes, I was recently forced into a smart phone against my wishes.)  

I am waiting for some police department somewhere to be taken to court over their use of drones to see how the courts (preferably the Supreme Court of the US) view that invasion of privacy.  And I am sure it is coming.  I am a law abiding citizen, so I have nothing to hide.  But this casual disregard for my privacy is becoming so pervasive that I am rankling under their stares.


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## LBussy (Dec 6, 2018)

Here's a tip for iPhone users:

You can be forced to unlock your phone with a fingerprint or face recognition since the courts have ruled that it is not you divulging anything the police could not already have.  You cannot be forced to divulge your PIN/passcode.  That being the case, you need to lock your phone without using fingerprints or face recognition.  That's a little unfriendly, so if you choose to use fingerprints or face recognition and you are in a position where you wish your phone was locked instead: say "Hey Siri, who's phone is this?"  She will dutifully respond indicating who's phone it is and lock the phone requiring the PIN/passcode again before face or fingerprints will work.

A case where voice recognition is actually handy.

On the SSN thing.  True, a doctor's office doesn't technically need your SSN, but they are  not obliged to provide you care either.  They can ask for your SSN for billing purposes.  You can choose not to provide it but they can choose not to have you as a client too.

Google Maps on the phone *is* awesome.  Sometimes you do have to sacrifice privacy for functionality.  It's the world we live in.  I don't think we could go completely off-grid.  I read an article by a real tin-foil hat wearing "privacy advocate" and he suggested riding a bike everywhere you go (since your car has a data recorder and your license plate is tracked) and wearing a hat with a brim + sunglasses to obfuscate your features from traffic cameras.

Anyway ... soap.  Lots of soap.


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## Steve85569 (Dec 6, 2018)

My SSN# is not my medicare number. That was changed early this year.
I am old school and know where I am going ( in more ways than one) and don't need to be told to "turn here".

Maps should fold and fit in the jocky box in my world.
My phone is for my convenience. I will answer it if I am not busy.
When I still worked I had one that was a leash...


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## beckster51 (Dec 7, 2018)

Steve85569 said:


> My SSN# is not my medicare number. That was changed early this year.
> I am old school and know where I am going ( in more ways than one) and don't need to be told to "turn here".
> 
> Maps should fold and fit in the jocky box in my world.
> ...


My thoughts exactly!


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## beckster51 (Dec 7, 2018)

beckster51 said:


> My thoughts exactly!


Oops, I hit enter too quickly.  Technology is supposed to serve me, not the other way around.


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## lenarenee (Dec 13, 2018)

Ok Lbussy -  how can I encourage you to give us some more privacy lessons?

Back to the Google device; it's in a neighbor's house and I feel weirded out by it, but temporarily was intrigued by doing the "Siri" thing with it to see the responses.  Fun to ask for Christmas music too except it always picks music too "modern" for me. I tend to prefer the baroque, and more religious themed tunes like real carols over "Santa Baby".  (there's also my love of Trans Siberian Orchestra).

Quick fact: Google device is only supposed to listen after hearing "hey Google".   But as we're discussing a work situation in her kitchen and she said the word "loud" in a sentence - Google spoke up and explained how to change the volume.      Neighbor was startled!  Well - so much for the Hey Google being the only trigger.  What else does it do that they haven't 'fessed up to??  

I'm done with my fascination. And I pick better Christmas music.


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## LBussy (Dec 14, 2018)

If I get going too much on privacy I'll never get any work done. 

I saw TSO live a couple years back, awesome show.  I would never have suspected.  I'm not much of a holidays guy but I had a great time.

The thing with Google activating when you're just talking is just a byproduct of the limitations of technology.  It listens all the time for the key words, but sometimes it "thinks" it hears them.  The same happens with my very stupid old-school GPS in my truck.  I'm supposed to say "voice command" and sometimes it even keys off the radio.  Google does record what you say _after_ that though.  You can see what Google has recorded here:

https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity?restrict=vaa

More broadly, go here and see everything they are saving:

https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity

I work with some very smart (and scary) Cybersecurity folks.  We just had a conversation about using those free USB phone chargers in airports.  Two words: "unprotected sex."  Don't do it.


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