Smart speakers being tested in Disney rooms

[bpadair32]

I've been keeping our echo on mute mostly. We have a smart plug for our great room (family room) so we use it for that and other things but when not in use the echo is usually on mute. One would think that maybe they have that option in the rooms-though echo lights up red the whole time it's on mute.

If you have to unmute it before you use it what is the point? The purpose of these things is the convenience of talking to the air and getting a response.

 

[PolyRob]

I agree but didn't privacy kind of go out the window with most social media, smart phones, or any smart device really? Heck I am sure even my smart TV does some sort of tracking on me. I do get why some may not like it though.

Seriously! I was talking to my sister who lives in another state about a movie the other day. That night, both our smart TVs recommend we watch that movie. Coincidence? I doubt it. My TV is no way connected to my Alexa or Google Home, and she has neither of those devices, but something picked up on it. Between smartphones, tablets, laptops/desktop, and ISPs, I am sure there is so much out there about all of us. To your point about SM, look at all the hot water Facebook is in recently. People upload their entire lives there! I really do try to protect myself as much as I can. I have drop-in disabled on my Alexa and I do disable location tracking and most app-permission requests on my phone and tablet, etc. At some point you just have to enjoy and embrace the technology and what it can do for you

I don't, either. But then I don't really like talking to people, why would I want to talk to my devices?

Its not necessary, but definitely a great convenience. There are just some things that are great to ask handsfree. I know when I want to get out of my room by a certain time for ropedrop I am mindful of the current time, weather, and now bus wait times in MDE. If I could be getting dressed while simultaneously asking a device when the next bus to AK will arrive at my resort and if I need a poncho, I find great value in that!

 

[The Pho]

That's not how drop in works, and that is an Echo feature which these are not. I also do not implicitly trust them, I have read, tested and verified.

I use the drop in feature. That’s precisely how it works. Sure you have to set it up, but it still transmits the audio and video of the device to another location while being very easy to not know you are being listened to.

 

[bpadair32]

I use the drop in feature. That’s precisely how it works. Sure you have to set it up, but it still transmits the audio and video of the device to another location while being very easy to not know you are being listened to.

But you have to set it up and give that permission. It does not allow anyone to listen to you without your knowledge that they at least CAN. That is very different than saying that people can listen to you without your knowledge or permission.

 

[mikepizzo]

I despise this idea (these always-listening devices), and you can be sure I'll unplug it for the length of my stay if they add these. Nope.

I'm the opposite - I don't "get" these smart speakers (Alexa, google home, whatever) and have zero interest in ever having one ... and the idea of something or some one "listening" to me in my hotel room, um, no thanks

I know things track you and I really don't care at this point because I have so many devices that probably do track me. It is what it is.

I don't know if I would say I'm in the 'opposite' camp, but this is my whole thing...I am no where near interesting enough for someone to want to secretly listen into my conversations. We use our Google Home Mini mainly for weather, set timers, check the time, play music, and ask for an occasional recipe. Even if this thing was listening to me while I was just talking to my wife, no one would care what I have to say about what happened to me at work, how I woke up with a stomach ache, what TV show we should start, etc. I'm simply not interesting enough. I'm sure there are people in the world that are interesting enough to tap...I just think the VAST majority of people aren't.

And all of this, of course, does not invalidate anyone else's opinion. I'm just giving my perspective on why these things don't bother me.

 

[Moliphino]

Its not necessary, but definitely a great convenience. There are just some things that are great to ask handsfree. I know when I want to get out of my room by a certain time for ropedrop I am mindful of the current time, weather, and now bus wait times in MDE. If I could be getting dressed while simultaneously asking a device when the next bus to AK will arrive at my resort and if I need a poncho, I find great value in that!

I'd probably zone out and not hear its response if I was multitasking. I retain info so much better when I see/read it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

If you have to unmute it before you use it what is the point? The purpose of these things is the convenience of talking to the air and getting a response.

Because I don't want it to actively listen all the time

It still picks up on the word "Alexa" from the tv, it randomly would wake up and say something like "I'm sorry I didn't find ___" or other things when my husband and I were just conversing (without using the Alexa word) or something on the tv would wake it, there was one time last year where it added some random kitchen appliance to the Echo Amazon list without using Alexa word and we've never added anything to that, etc

I just found it easier the bulk of the time I'm around it to mute it. My husband was the one really wanting it. We already had a cheap, but good quality, bluetooth speaker so for over a year I didn't see the point in even getting it. But it was 50% off Prime Day (the older generation) so my husband really wanted it then. Then he converted reward points from Holiday Inn or some other hotel brand we don't often stay at and got a smart plug with those reward points, etc.

Really it's not difficult nor strenuous to press the mute button on and off.

 

[The Pho]

But you have to set it up and give that permission. It does not allow anyone to listen to you without your knowledge that they at least CAN. That is very different than saying that people can listen to you without your knowledge or permission.

You don’t have to set it up, somebody has to set it up. If these devices are in hotel rooms, you have no idea what the person before you has done. If it is enabled there is no indication to you that it’s listening. That was my point. The devices do not only listen for key words then start recording, there are other features that widen the listening and recording windows.
Saying that they can only ever listen for the key word is flat out false.
I still wouldn’t expect this to be an issue, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility. And for people already uneasy about this sort of thing, it would be a concern.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I'm sure there are people in the world that are interesting enough to tap...I just think the VAST majority of people aren't.

I know some very politically connected people who I know many would love to listen in on. But yeah — the vast majority of people aren’t in that category. Some of us just find it creepy, though, and seek to limit the opportunities for tracking, hacking, etc.

 

[bpadair32]

You don’t have to set it up, somebody has to set it up. If these devices are in hotel rooms, you have no idea what the person before you has done. If it is enabled there is no indication to you that it’s listening. That was my point. The devices do not only listen for key words then start recording, there are other features that widen the listening and recording windows.
Saying that they can only ever listen for the key word is flat out false.
I still wouldn’t expect this to be an issue, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility. And for people already uneasy about this sort of thing, it would be a concern.

They are putting in Google Home devices, this is not a feature of them. This is not a thing, you are simply muddying the waters for people that might actually be interested in accurate information on the subject.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

They are putting in Google Home devices, this is not a feature of them. This is not a thing, you are simply muddying the waters for people that might actually be interested in accurate information on the subject.

Based on what a family member who worked at google on this tech has told me, I am not as confident as you are wrt what would be possible to do with these devices. I’ll leave it at that.

 

[bpadair32]

Based on what a family member who worked at google on this tech has told me, I am not as confident as you are wrt what would be possible to do with these devices. I’ll leave it at that.

Yeah, I put zero value in anecdotal evidence that people will not elaborate on. That is how conspiracy theories and other plagues of modern society get started.

I have been in IT for over a decade, I have researched this stuff and have watched the actual network traffic of the devices I use. So I will leave it at that.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Yeah, I put zero value in anecdotal evidence that people will not elaborate on. That is how conspiracy theories and other plagues of modern society get started.

I have been in IT for over a decade, I have researched this stuff and have watched the actual network traffic of the devices I use. So I will leave it at that.

“plagues”... :-D

That’s your prerogative.

 

[sachilles]

I see the privacy concerns. Of course the other part of me doesn't care who is listening about the stuff I'd talk about in a disney hotel room. You want to know I have chaffing going on? Maybe I need immodium this trip. You want to hear me snore?
My son received a kids echo dot for Christmas, it's neat. I don't think the tech is there quite yet, but it's growing. I'm a little disappointed in disney related content. I wish it could tell me wait times or stuff like that.
I'd be more concerned with these being in a hotel in shanghai than I would at a FL Disney hotel. Again, you can just unplug the thing, and let your phone do the listening.

 

[The Pho]

They are putting in Google Home devices, this is not a feature of them. This is not a thing, you are simply muddying the waters for people that might actually be interested in accurate information on the subject.

The article did not specify what type of smart speaker was being used. It said “like the Google Home or the Amazon Alexa systems”. So if they are in fact using Google Home and not Echos, then the drop in feature would not be the same concern.
And just because Google doesn’t have a feature labeled as drop in like Echos do, doesn’t mean they won’t listen outside of when they are supposed to.

https://money.cnn.com/2017/10/11/technology/google-home-mini-security-flaw/index.html

Glitches are possible. I’m not muddying anything, nothing I have said is inaccurate. Acting like this stuff isn’t possible, is not fully informing people. And if you’ve used any of these devices, you should know that they frequently hear the wake word when it hasn’t been spoken, whether it’s Google, Alexa, Siri, or Cortana.

Ultimately if these can give us Disney info, like bus times, park hours, showtimes, etc. I’ll very much look forward to them.

 

[rteetz]

The article did not specify what type of smart speaker was being used. It said “like the Google Home or the Amazon Alexa systems”. So if they are in fact using Google Home and not Echos, then the drop in feature would not be the same concern.
And just because Google doesn’t have a feature labeled as drop in like Echos do, doesn’t mean they won’t listen outside of when they are supposed to.

https://money.cnn.com/2017/10/11/technology/google-home-mini-security-flaw/index.html

Glitches are possible. I’m not muddying anything, nothing I have said is inaccurate. Acting like this stuff isn’t possible, is not fully informing people. And if you’ve used any of these devices, you should know that they frequently hear the wake word when it hasn’t been spoken, whether it’s Google, Alexa, Siri, or Cortana.

According to Blog Mickey they are supposed to be Google Home devices.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Two interesting articles about Alexa recording things:
https://www.komando.com/happening-now/410905/amazons-alexa-helps-catch-thief-red-handed

https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/07/tech/amazon-echo-alexa-bentonville-arkansas-murder-case/index.html

 

[adam.adbe]

I don't know if I would say I'm in the 'opposite' camp, but this is my whole thing...I am no where near interesting enough for someone to want to secretly listen into my conversations. We use our Google Home Mini mainly for weather, set timers, check the time, play music, and ask for an occasional recipe. Even if this thing was listening to me while I was just talking to my wife, no one would care what I have to say about what happened to me at work, how I woke up with a stomach ache, what TV show we should start, etc. I'm simply not interesting enough. I'm sure there are people in the world that are interesting enough to tap...I just think the VAST majority of people aren't.

And all of this, of course, does not invalidate anyone else's opinion. I'm just giving my perspective on why these things don't bother me.

People always get this aspect of constant monitoring wrong. It's not that you're important. You're probably not. Your data in aggregate with everyone else's is. Whether you believe that companies should get all this stuff for free[1] is a matter of personal perspective.

Where the problems actually begin though is that the ambient data collected on you is way more useful than the stuff kinds of stuff you're thinking about, I.E. what you eat, or what you watch. Given enough data it becomes possible to start making deductions about some pretty surprising things. Current tech is not at this level, as, with the exception of phones/smart watches, the tech has no reliable way of disambiguating between people in a household, so the data is too noisy. That will change. You probably don't want your health insurance company[2] being able to determine whether you are prone to depression, or stomach disorders. You probably don't want you auto-insurance company to know that you suffer from insomnia, or are just a little too fond of playing video games past a sensible hour at night. You probably don't want prospective employers to be able to purchase that kind of information either. This could very easily be what the credit report of the future looks like though. The devil, as always, is in the details. It's the small data, not the big stuff, that will pose the greatest challenges for policy makers over the next few decades.

[1] Opt out isn't a thing. You're implicitly/explicitly opted right back in by everyone you interact with.

[2] HIPAA is not applicable here.

 

[skier_pete]

They only listen for the wake word and they do not transmit anything back to the server or anywhere else until they hear it.

I have a friend that works very high up in Microsoft, and he will NOT have these devices in his house - and his house is pretty smart driven. I am not sure I would trust Disney not to be listening for key words to market things to me.

 

[bpadair32]

“plagues”... :-D

That’s your prerogative.

Conspiracy theories are a very big problem right now and are spreading faster than ever.

People always get this aspect of constant monitoring wrong. It's not that you're important. You're probably not. Your data in aggregate with everyone else's is. Whether you believe that companies should get all this stuff for free[1] is a matter of personal perspective.

Where the problems actually begin though is that the ambient data collected on you is way more useful than the stuff kinds of stuff you're thinking about, I.E. what you eat, or what you watch. Given enough data it becomes possible to start making deductions about some pretty surprising things. Current tech is not at this level, as, with the exception of phones/smart watches, the tech has no reliable way of disambiguating between people in a household, so the data is too noisy. That will change. You probably don't want your health insurance company[2] being able to determine whether you are prone to depression, or stomach disorders. You probably don't want you auto-insurance company to know that you suffer from insomnia, or are just a little too fond of playing video games past a sensible hour at night. You probably don't want prospective employers to be able to purchase that kind of information either. This could very easily be what the credit report of the future looks like though. The devil, as always, is in the details. It's the small data, not the big stuff, that will pose the greatest challenges for policy makers over the next few decades.

[1] Opt out isn't a thing. You're implicitly/explicitly opted right back in by everyone you interact with.

[2] HIPAA is not applicable here.

We need to be advocating for laws to prevent abuse of data, not advocating for progress to stop or tech to not advance.