[stryk]

I'd take it even one step further and say people shouldn't even have an Alexa (or Google Home, et. al.) in their home at all. There are so many downsides, and after you get past the "cool new technology" factor there are relatively little upsides.

It would be better, more worthwhile, and a hell of a lot more interesting to research and figure out how to create your own "voice assistant" type of device that's hosted locally and doesn't transmit everything that's said in your home back to some company's servers. [and don't give me any of that 'they're not listening to everything' crap -- that's bullshit. if things can be abused they will be]

[sturgill]

First world problems, but “Alexa, broadcast ‘dinner is ready’” is just amazing. Or, “Alexa, drop in on [child’s] room” to remind them about X.

Also timers, light switches, and playing music to the surround sound from a Bluetooth connection to the receiver...

We didn’t own one when we lived in Brooklyn, but they are all over my house in the suburbs. I don’t apologize for my love fest. But I won’t use it to order anything. Add something to lists? Definitely. Make a purchase decision? Ha!

[Bizarro]

Alexa is worth it just to turn off/on light switches, get the time and weather occasionally.....really turning on and off the lamps in various rooms is very convenient though.

[stryk]

You're willing to give up the personal privacy of you, your family, and any guests in exchange for turning off light switches without getting up?

[sturgill]

With three kids, a two story house plus basement? Yes.

And I imagine you probably carry a listening device with built-in locator that surveillance states can use to track your every move any way. All for the convenience of being able to make phone calls (or, more ironically, check Facebook).

At this point in the game, privacy is an illusion. So I might as well enjoy telling Alexa to “turn off the basement lights” on my way to bed every night.

[bopbop]

The answer to stopping ubiquitous pervasive surveillance probably isn't installing more ubiquitous pervasive surveillance.

It's clear many people feel there are benefits to owning one of these devices, but it does seem all of the benefits you are listing can be achieved without making such a sacrifice to a giant multinational conglomerate with a poor history of user rights and privacy.

With your comment “Alexa, drop in on [child’s] room”, the point that immediately came to mind is that Alexa doesn't drop in. Alexa is always there. I guess a lot of it will come down to whether you believe that:

a) Amazon will honour whatever promise they have with the consumer not to monitor them/keep records of your communications safe

b) That normalising such devices will not lead to their expanding use in direction you do NOT agree with in the future

c) That the device, system and amazon servers your and your families information is stored in is secure from being taken control over by third parties.

Personally, I think b is the biggest concern, as I believe arguments similar to yours (you already carry a smartphone) will be replaced in the future with (you are already recorded by alexa) to justify further things I would consider to be beyond reasonable in a free democratic society (whats wrong with a little facial recognition, etc).

[astura]

Remember The Clapper?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny8-G8EoWOw

Seems like a solution for the privacy minded? (Wouldn't work in my house though because all might lights are switch controlled ceiling lights.)

DISCLAIMER: I have no idea how Alexa controls the lights.

[grkvlt]

How exactly is using Alexa giving up personal privacy? The device isn't recording your conversations you realise?

[stryk]

No, I don't realize. And neither should you, because you honestly cannot. It runs closed-source software and communicates with servers out of your control. Unless you are an engineer who works for Amazon directly in the smart-gadget department there is no way you could positively know with certainty.

Amazon isn't providing these devices out of the kindness of their hearts. They are a for-profit enterprise, they do not care about making your life "easier" -- they want your money. They do not give a damn about anything else, and I do not believe that it's overly-paranoid to say that if you think otherwise then you're fooling yourself. It has been proven time and time again that if a thing can be abused by others for their own gain then they will be, almost without fail. Be it the government, a company, an individual, whatever.

Amazon has already done the hard work by getting the device into your home (which you paid them to do. and walked it into your own front door yourself). It's a marketers wet dream, and we all know -- or, at least we should know by now -- how sleazy marketing is. Do you really trust them to not use that always-on microphone? Do you actually trust that they are deleting any "non-relevant" data, or even keeping the 'relevant" data safe and out of the hands of others? I do not. You shouldn't either.

It has always baffled me the things people are willing to be duped out of under such a simple guise as "convenience". I've never been able to wrap my head around it. And I refuse to buy into the defeatist attitude of "privacy is an illusion" -- that's a load of crap.

[grkvlt]

> They are a for-profit enterprise, they do not care about making your life "easier" -- they want your money.

Interestingly, one way they can get my money is by making my life easier. And I'm not the only one who is happy to pay for that. In which case it makes perfect sense for them to care very much about making my life easier, as it is essential to their profits...

[skgoa]

> "voice assistant" type of device that's hosted locally and doesn't transmit everything that's said in your home back to some company's servers.

Apple will sell you exactly this and it even comes with much better speakers than the other "intelligent speaker" products. But it's Apple, so every "tech person" on the internet must hate it.

[walterbell]

Isn't Siri cloud-based for HomePod?