Amazon Sidewalk: what could possibly go wrong?

[Frankenscript]

Amazon devices will by default start sharing their internet connections:

Amazon devices will soon automatically share your Internet with neighbors

Amazon’s experimental wireless mesh networking turns users into guinea pigs.

arstechnica.com

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[TonyR]

I realize that the title of your post is a rhetorical question but even so I gotta say "...so many things."

I unplugged 2 Echo Dots last year when, after neither myself or my wife had done any searches online of a specific and unusual topic and that we had discussed that topic verbally only between ourselves......shortly after (like by the next day) when I opened amazon to browse my account / order status page, I received popup suggestions that clearly suggested items that my wife and I discussed privately!

I wonder what else had been heard? My political views?

 

[mat200]

I realize that the title of your post is a rhetorical question but even so I gotta say "...so many things."

I unplugged 2 Echo Dots last year when, after neither myself or my wife had done any searches online of a specific and unusual topic and that we had discussed that topic verbally only between ourselves......shortly after (like by the next day) when I opened amazon to browse my account / order status page, I received popup suggestions that clearly suggested items that my wife and I discussed privately!

I wonder what else had been heard? My political views?

Amazon, FB, and Google ( Siri ), know everything!

Indeed, also noticed the same as you have experienced @TonyR - thus no Amazon IoT in my home anymore. ( still hard for me to keep those mobile spy devices out ... just need to pry them from their clutched hands.. )

 

[handinpalm]

The vast majority of users don't have a clue, nor do they care. Its the new world of Ideocracy. My only smart phone that is active in the house stays on a stand next to my surround sound speaker. They can monitor what I watch on TV. It is in the car I worry about, so we try not to discuss very private matters. I have always found the speech to text IoT more of a burden then just getting up and doing it. Someone is always surveilling, everywhere.

 

[sebastiantombs]

What gets me, and we don't use any of this IoT crap, is my daughter and SIL who both work in IT, her as a trouble shooter and he as senior management. They have a house full of it including "cloud" cameras. I've warned them, repeatedly, of all the risks to their own security and the security of my grand daughter are being exposed to but they both have the "it'll never happen to me" attitude. In the mean time Alexa is collecting everything that goes on in the house and the cameras are out there with their butts flapping in the wind waiting to be exploited.

 

[gwminor48]

I just spoke about a couple of obscure things to buy nearby our Alexa Echo to test - I've heard others mention this too so I'm testing. I did notice when I went to Amazon they had books recommended for me and about 90% of them were by conservative authors. What are the odds of that coming from a liberal company like Amazon?

 

[TonyR]

What are the odds of that coming from a liberal company like Amazon?

They haven't tweaked the AI algorithm enough....give them some time. ...they'll "fix" it !

 

[wittaj]

Yep, I have my mic disabled on the phone for anything other than phone calls. I do not need to do the "Hey" whatever command, I will type it out myself.

I do have fun with my friends though when I know they are into the ease of use of these devices, so I start talking about weird things. Some of my favorites are:

"I heard an ad on the radio for Tommy Johns. Can't believe underwear is advertised on the radio" Next thing you know their ad feed on their phone is filled with underwear commercials.

"Why doesn't Trojan advertise. You would have thought they would." Next thing you know they are getting ads for condoms

"I hear Nascar drivers wear diapers" Next thing you know they are getting ads for diapers and baby supplies.

"Would you ever use an online dating service" Next thing you know...

And bunches of other nonsense like that. Try it, it is fun LOL.

 

[Frankenscript]

I've heard numerous stories similar to the above of Amazon devices obviously mining data outside of explicit commands to do so and it showing up in ads. There is no Amazon IoT in my home, though I do shop by Amazon and use their video streaming.

Interestingly, I've tried (hard) to test my Android phone (a OnePlus 6+... 2.5 years old and still going strong) to see if Google is mining conversation and to the best of my ability never been able to demonstrate that Google is listening in. I do (frequently) use "OK, Google" as a keyword and when I'm monitoring data use realtime, you can see a spike as it passes the voice after the keyphrase out to google and gets the responses back, but I've never seen it pass routine conversation up the chain even when the conversation involves the word Google (but minus the OK or Hey parts of the keyphrase). My conclusion is the phone really is just listening in for the complete key phrase and not sending anything not preceded by it to our AI overlords. I would NOT trust ATT, T-Mobile, or Verizon not to install spyware that would do so; my phone was purchased independent of any carrier. So presumably, it's only reporting to China and nobody else.

So, talking about odd subjects in front of my phone never results in weird search results.

But the idea of randomly sharing my internet connection with who-knows-who gives me the absolute willies. I get the concept, but YUK. That's like sharing my toothbrush.

 

[MicahJames]

I’ve never looked into it to the extent you have but there are some incredible coincidences that I’ve seen first hand. More notable- was having a conversation with a brother in law in his garage. He was showing me a tool bench he just purchased. Big sucker. Very proud of it. Told me the brand and model and we spent a good ten min looking over it and talking about it.
Not a day later I’m browsing the web on my phone and one of those spaces of the page for specific ads is in the right column. Sure as hell it’s not only an ad for a toolbox but the exact same make and model we were discussing. Not sure what you could pin that on but it creeped me out.

 

[MicahJames]

And no, I never typed that into any search bar or anything outside of our conversation.

 

[mat200]

The numerous reports here, and elsewhere, along with my person similar "never searched for this, but had a private conversation about it" and shortly started to see Ads for items... well

I am 100% convinced we are being spied on with these voice enabled devices..

 

[tigerwillow1]

I am 100% convinced we are being spied on with these voice enabled devices..

Without trying to start an argument, I'd ask why are members of this security conscious forum using these devices? How does the consistent concern about network security match up with using a smartphone? Except for rare occasions, I have my android phone data connection shut off. Whenever it gets enabled it starts downloading crap I don't want and I have to explain to my wife why there's a link to a porno site on the main screen.

I see Amazon, Google, the democratic party, and China in a race to destroy our society, and we're lined up to voluntarily give them more money and power to use against us.

 

[wittaj]

And I thought I was the only one turning data off on the phone when not using lol

 

[mat200]

Without trying to start an argument, I'd ask why are members of this security conscious forum using these devices? How does the consistent concern about network security match up with using a smartphone? Except for rare occasions, I have my android phone data connection shut off. Whenever it gets enabled it starts downloading crap I don't want and I have to explain to my wife why there's a link to a porno site on the main screen.

I see Amazon, Google, the democratic party, and China in a race to destroy our society, and we're lined up to voluntarily give them more money and power to use against us.

Hi @tigerwillow1

I have no control of those around me who have mobile spy devices...

 

[wittaj]

Another thing that some don't realize is that some ISP has been doing this for years.

If you have a modem/router combo issued by your ISP and are using the router and broadcasting wifi, then it becomes part of the "free wifi hotspots" they offer.

Just one of the many reasons to set those in bypass mode and use your own router!

 

[SouthernYankee]

1) router is in bypass mode
2) i have zero IOT devices
3) the cameras are on a seperate network with no access to the internet.
3) the cameras and microphones on the PC have tape over them.

BUT i think google can tell when I take a crap. Google knows more about be then I know about my self.

If you think you have any privacy you are dreaming.

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

Lets not forget the smart TV's and the remote control for <insert cable company name here>. They are also listening devices often forgotten because folks are fixated on their phones, iPads, etc

Security | TechRepublic

www.techrepublic.com

 

[tigerwillow1]

Lets not forget the smart TV's.................

Being a card-carrying tinfoil hat person, before hanging my smart tv on the wall I pulled the back off and disconnected the wifi module. I'm not totally clean with other devices on the network that could be snooping, like a tivo and roku that don't work without the network connection. What motivated me with the TV is its front facing camera.

 

[Crows]

OMG , this is just plain spooky! Myself and the Mrs where only discussing this last night . Last weekend we had been talking about a new item that her mother had purchased , shortly after i kept seeing that item pop up online so I said , oh ...you've been doing research using my Tablet hey ? No she replied, I haven't touched your Tablet or done any research on the item whatsoever? WTF ?