Alexa/Amazon Prime Echo Dot - anyone hearing strange voices?

[ankerdine]

Firstly I'd say that I'm not technical but OH is.

Has anyone heard any strange voices or happenings from these devices? Are we being listened to or watched?

Recently we were talking in our lounge about a topic and there was a voice (we both heard it) which said "Indeed" as though someone agreed with us. Also, when we play music from Amazon, if we go out of the room, we often get a message on screen to ask if we want to continue listening to the current selection.

A neighbour has also heard comment from Alexa which really shocked the family.

What is going on? Is it something quite simple or could it be far more sinister?

Judy

[mazi]

Since you can use Alexa to order takeaways  food then obviously it has the ability to listen to every word you say and send these to anywhere it chooses.

Mike

[Dyingout]

Mine often picks up on words from TV or PC that it thinks are  "Alexa" and then says "I'm sorry i don't know that one". 

[Kiltpin]

Yes, you are being listened to - all the time. When they are switched on, they are listening 24/7. 

People say they only wake up when they hear the start word, but if they are not listening, they can't hear the start word, can they? So they are listening - all the time.

The question is - who are they reporting to? They are not obviously recording every thing said, but I am sure that there are "trigger words" which are reported to a government agency. If the expression "God is Great" is heard in Arabic then the device will listen harder.

The joke is we the public have been persuaded to pay to be spied upon.

Regards

Chas

[Finley 1]

I opted out..  pulled the plug and switched it off.

or switched it off and then pulled the plug..  

as I did so it spoke to me... honestly.....

so I went through my actions again to see how it managed to do that.. and realised that I had flicked the switch off and on when attempting to switch the next switch off... confuscious.. I know.. but that was what happened... so it said that it was back on or off and so I lost the plot that something was talking to me ... so pulled it out of the wall NEVER to be plugged back in.

As I am close to the edge most days these days.. I do not need to feel that technology is winning..

However it does have its advantages I KNOW  but all the same scares me.... rotten

xin

ps daughter bought it for her Pops she thought he would like it ... he does... but is not now allowed to use it.

The one and only question I asked it got wrong anyway.. so there.   

[CarolA3]

Xin, that sounds like the HAL9000 computer in '2001' 

It's only 17 years late 

Carol

[Mart 'n' Al]

Douglas Rain, the voice of HAL, died last week.

Martin

[CarolA3]

Xin, was the voice you heard male or female?

[CarolA3]

Douglas Rain, the voice of HAL, died last week.

Martin

I know, that's what made me think of it