Amazon accidentally sent the wrong person approximately 1,700 audio files and a PDF containing transcripts of intimate conversations - all recorded over the company's in-home echo assistant.
In August 2018, a German Amazon customer took advantage of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to request whatever personal data Amazon had on file about him. Several months later, he received a link to download a 100MB ZIP file, according to German news outlet Heise.
About 50 of the zipped files contained data relating to everyday things like Amazon searches, but there were also around 1,700 WAV files and a PDF cataloging unsorted transcripts of Alexa’s interpretations of his voice commands. Schneider was extremely surprised to find these files as he doesn’t use Alexa and doesn’t own any Alexa-enabled devices. He listened to some random sample files but didn’t recognize any of the voices they contained. -Heise
The man emailed Amazon on November 8 to notify them that they had sent the wrong customer's information, asking who they belonged to. When he hit a dead end, he contacted German computer magazine c't - feeling that the victim should be found and informed about the data breach which covered the entire month of May.
We asked him to send us some of the files (confidentially of course) so that we could get an idea of what they contained. They enabled us to piece together a detailed picture of the customer concerned and his personal habits. It was obvious that ‘Customer X’ uses Alexa in multiple locations. He has at least one Echo at home and has a voice-controlled Fire box connected to his TV. A female voice also spoke to Alexa, so there was clearly a woman around at least some of the time. -c't via Heise
The Alexa device was able to hear the customer in the shower - as well as commands given to thermostats and other smart devices around the house. The man used Alexa at home, on his smartphone and when he is out and about.
We were able to navigate around a complete stranger’s private life without his knowledge, and the immoral, almost voyeuristic nature of what we were doing got our hair standing on end. The alarms, Spotify commands, and public transport inquiries included in the data revealed a lot about the victims’ personal habits, their jobs, and their taste in music. -c't via Heise
The investigative team was able to quickly identify the customer and his female companion based on first names, last names, weather queries and other information which led them to public data from Facebook and Twitter. When they could not find any contact information for the customer, the c't investigators asked Twitter to request that the victim contact them - which they did. The victim immediately called back, and was "audibly shocked" when they revealed what Amazon had accidentally sent to a stranger. The man confirmed that the investigators had correctly identified his girlfriend, and then began running through everything he and his friends asked Alexa - wondering what secrets they may have revealed.
Amazon responded to c't's inquiries on what happened, calling it an "unfortunate mishap" which they had "resolved."
I can't believe people actually buy this crap. Literally bugging your own home, what the fuck is wrong with these morons?
Daniel Murphy
kek
Joseph Perry
"Das spybox is spying on me?! Ach de scheisse!"
Levi Lopez
Here's a permanent solution to the problem: use good judgment and don't buy this CRAP in the first place, save some money and buy a private VPN service instead. Or a trip to a local steakhouse.
Jack Rodriguez
All phones contain microphones that record data, even when the main Operating System is turned off. Even if it says the battery is at 0%, and the screen turns off, note how if you press the On button, the screen will still light up.
It is still transmitting data and recording you. When the phone itself is fully on, the camera is also activated and sending data.
This data can be sent on channels that are not connected to your paid account, meaning even if you turn off the normal radio, it will still send data, and there is no way to detect this other than radiation monitoring.
You are being watched by all computer technology made since 2010, or perhaps even further back from that.
Beware. Live in fear. Do not fight back.
Juan King
Watched BY WHO!?
Benjamin Bennett
What faggot is dumb enough to read zoghedge? What imbecile is dumb enough to trust (((archive.fo)))?
Brayden Thomas
It's amazing, innit? Also; most of these people just use the tech without knowing what goes on in the background, so it's not surprising. I guess kikes were right, most people are meant to be slaves after all.
Samuel White
t.shizo
I am also before you try to imply I don't care about privacy.
Nolan Green
ALL MODERN ELECTRONICS, YES!!!
Easton Cook
What kind of faggot doesn't like actual news yet trolls a NEWS board? I wonder………..
THIS!
Anthony Lee
faggot ass BITCH
Nathaniel Jones
I only wish you guys would rail against the bioluminescent ones the way you pounce on old as old balls Amazon articles.
Xavier Thompson
OK, sage kindly negated.
Levi James
Retards who willingly put a spy device of a giant megacorporation into their homes deserve nothing less.
Jack Allen
Yeah, some guy did a test where he shut off his smartphone, then took some random trips all around the city, and then later on he found out google mapped out the entire thing. Off doesn't mean jack, apparently.
Lincoln James
I'd like to see this done with a more modular phone, say with a removable battery.
Matthew Harris
I think thats why they took out the removable batteries from newer phones. They suck!
Noah Cooper
Agreed.
Liam Harris
Russian conspiracy! Amazon won't spy on you! You all need these devices in your home, if you don't want them, your a Russian agent!
Bentley Roberts
Any pleb who can make a flashlight app you decide to install that requests permissions Them and various governments and tech agencies.
Matthew Fisher
What are you saying? I ask"BY WHO!?" and you respond with some ESL shit?
Ohhhhh sure, yah, "resolved" as in this won't happen again… or they'll stop spying on consumers? They're not going to stop spying so I don't want anything to do with this crap. Its a bug, period.
no. no. this is not true. we will all fucking suffer when people decide "they don't care" because "they only ones who need to be worried are criminals! i have nothing to hide" and then your data is no longer your own intellectual property and is bought and sold and used to target you with advertisements and keep tabs on you so that you don't (((break the law)))
Levi Lee
oh wait, this is already happening!
Luke Stewart
...
Noah Myers
Nope. Posted from an old 2000s laptop with an old Linux OS (using a private VPN). Don't ever underestimate the paranoia that lurks on image boards.
I swear the ONLY way we can address the privacy issue and get it actually resolved is to reproduce and use the spycraft technology ourselves in order to make enough victims of our own that eventually every single normie is demanding change.
If the government is the only one doing the spying nothing will change. We need people like ourselves mucking in the lives of random people until widespread consciousness about privacy becomes a thing not because of fear of the government but fear of your neighbor.
William Bailey
VPNs are advertised on television these days. I can't vouch for the quality or the security of shit like NordVPN or ExpressVPN, but the fact that normalcattle are thinking about VPNs at all suggests that VPN providers see them getting pissed and intend to capitalize on that.
These "smartphones" are the dumbest investment one could make. I'll stick to an old flip phone though I'm sure that can be tracked too.
Andrew Reyes
Found that article and it has nothing to do with the original claim.
Dylan Johnson
By that I mean there is only mention of some activity going on but nothing about GPS which is a battery whore.
Brayden Ortiz
Whats worse is it delivers a single (((approved narrative))) It's a propaganda device. The only reason they are charging money for it is to frame it as something valuable in the client's mind.
Jack Baker
Well like cable TV I'll dump it (this time without even buying it in the first place!)
