[slg]

>…if you use a VPN, then you can check for traffic here as well.

This is conditional on the assumption that the device is doing what it tells you it is doing. Like the point in my previous comment, if you believe the device is lying to you about when it is recording, why do you trust that it isn't hiding non-VPNed connections from you? Smart speakers can not physically transfer data themselves and can only forward data over WiFi or Bluetooth.

>HomePod has an Apple A8 processor, and Google Home has some sort of ARM SoC. These aren't low-powered machines; on the contrary, they can run 24/7 since they're always powered.

The A8 is a 4 year old processor and the HomePod is by far the most expensive and powerful of these devices. Maybe I was downplaying their potential processing power too much, but the fact still stands that a modern smartphone is much more powerful than a modern smart speaker.

>I think this makes them more likely to be overlooked, more than anything.

And phones aren't overlooked when they spend almost 24/7 within a few feet of the owner?

I am not saying these devices don't present any potential issues. I am just pointing out that the risk is lower than the one we have already accepted by using smartphones. Stressing over compromised smart speakers is like stressing about whether you locked the door to the third floor balcony while not caring that the front door is unlocked.

[saagarjha]

> why do you trust that it isn't hiding non-VPNed connections from you

Ahh, so you don't trust the operating system itself, rather than the apps running on it. In this case, you're free to physically turn off cellular data on your phone (e.g. by removing the SIM) and connect it to Wi-Fi.

> The A8 is a 4 year old processor and the HomePod is by far the most expensive and powerful of these devices. Maybe I was downplaying their potential processing power too much, but the fact still stands that a modern smartphone is much more powerful than a modern smart speaker.

Sure, but you don't need a whole lot of processor power. What you need is a reliable power source, which is something that a smart speaker has.

> And phones aren't overlooked when they spend almost 24/7 within a few feet of the owner

While smart speakers don't have to even be within a few feet of the owner to work.

[slg]

>Ahh, so you don't trust the operating system itself, rather than the apps running on it.

The argument against any of these devices is that they are compromised either by a third party or by the actual device maker. Google and Apple make the OSes installed on almost every mobile device. If you don't trust Google's or Apple's smart speaker why do you trust their OS?

>In this case, you're free to physically turn off cellular data on your phone (e.g. by removing the SIM) and connect it to Wi-Fi.

That isn't a valid solution became it is hindering a device in such a way that it can't perform its most basic duty. Real people don't put a SIM into their phone only when they are expecting a call and take it out as soon as the call is over.

>Sure, but you don't need a whole lot of processor power. What you need is a reliable power source, which is something that a smart speaker has.

What do you think the average smartphone uptime is per day? I am willing to bet it is approaching 24/7. A majority of phones probably are hooked up to chargers a couple hours a day and they all have access to the battery any time they aren't/

>While smart speakers don't have to even be within a few feet of the owner to work.

And neither do phones. The range of smart speaker microphones is likely within an order of magnitude of the range of smartphone speakers but the average distance between a smart speaker and its owner is going to be several orders of magnitude higher than the average distance between a smartphone and its owner.

[saagarjha]

> That isn't a valid solution became it is hindering a device in such a way that it can't perform its most basic duty.

This isn't intended as a permanent thing: it's just a spot check on the traffic.

> A majority of phones probably are hooked up to chargers a couple hours a day and they all have access to the battery any time they aren't

The issue here is that any sort of processing is very noticeable on smartphones, since it will either cause the battery to deplete very quickly or charging to take a long time. It's basically impossible to get away with performing computation without it showing up in battery statistics.