Amazon filed a Patent to record you before you even say "Alexa"

[strajk-]

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Amazon has filed a patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office describing a technology that would allow the Echo and other Alexa-enabled devices to capture what you say before a wake word, like “Alexa,” is uttered. Currently, Alexa devices only record and send audio to Amazon servers if a wake word is detected.

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The patent application, offers insight into Amazon’s ambitions to expand the capabilities of its voice recognition technology. Alexa devices currently can’t understand commands when the wake word comes after or in the middle of a sentence. But images in the patent application offer “Play some music, Alexa” and “Play some music, Alexa. The Beatles, please” as example.

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In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson told, “The technology in this patent is not in use, and referring to the potential use of patents is highly speculative.” The spokesperson added that Amazon files many patent applications that are not ultimately implemented into consumer-facing products, and that patents do not necessarily reflect “current or near-future states of products and services.”

We might finally be able to play Despacito without having to hit a keyword, what a time to live in.

 

Source: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nicolenguyen/amazon-echo-record-audio-before-alexa-wakeword-patent

Patent: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1="20190156818".PGNR.&OS=DN/20190156818&RS=DN/20190156818

[LukeSavenije]

most used phrase after this to alexa: i wasn't talking to you

[porina]

They have to continuously sample data to look for "Alexa" anyway. Based on the pic in OP, they would continuously locally buffer a recording, and only if "Alexa" is triggered, then use recent past data also to work out what was required. I don't think this has a further impact on privacy that you're not already accepting if you use this type of service.

[RejZoR]

That's the dumbest thing I've seen or heard in a while. The sole purpose of invoking "assistants" with a name is to tell them you're actually talking to them and expecting info from them. Who wants a god damn "assistant" jumping into your conversation or even sample it when you don't want to for that matter? I mean, literally only usable thing is to search for a song title which was sampled from another non Echo device source and you can't replay it for Alexa to sample it and tell you what the title is. Realistically, how often do you need that, really? In the end you can just hum it to SoundHound and it'll probably find it for you.

[greenhorn]

4 minutes ago, porina said:

They have to continuously sample data to look for "Alexa" anyway. Based on the pic in OP, they would continuously locally buffer a recording, and only if "Alexa" is triggered, then use recent past data also to work out what was required.[...]

That's exactly what I was thinking. This is hardly worthy of being patented in my opinion.

[Zorba2.17]

dumb and creepy! why so much automation? it takes almost two clicks to play a freaking song.

 

[NeuesTestament]

It's now news that Alexa is a privacy nightmare. The thing is most people don't care and buy "smart speakers" anyways.

[NeuesTestament]

1 minute ago, huilun02 said:

Its 2019 and privacy is a big concern. Yet people still install actively listening, internet connected mics in their homes for giant companies that will do anything for money.

Which shows out that privacy really is not a big concern at all for most people

[Taf the Ghost]

From a Technical Perspective: it's an buffer of information that the device can work backwards through if there is a cue. Good idea.

 

From a Practical Perspective: Amazon is criminally liable for illegal wiretapping in many States.

 

I'm really not joking. Many States have "2 Party Consent" rules for wiretapping/recording. If you're in someone's residence having a private conversation, both Amazon and the person you've visited will be committing crimes. Use of this type of tech would functionally require signs at the entrance of someone's home informing the visitor that the area is not considered "private" for the purposes of recording. (Oddly enough for video that doesn't count, which is why most video surveillance systems don't have audio recording.)

[Taf the Ghost]

12 minutes ago, NeuesTestament said:

Which shows out that privacy really is not a big concern at all for most people

Not really. It shows most people don't understand the Tech. You see this all the time with social media and posting pictures. It isn't natural for most people to think of the Internet has everyone can see what they're posting. It's a function of how new the tech is and the reality that people have never (in human history) needed to think in that type of way, thus they normally don't. 

[TVwazhere]

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Alexa devices only record and send audio to Amazon servers if a wake word is detected.

[Dabombinable]

How could this even be patented?

[ewitte]

Why do people buy these things?

[StarsMars]

Anyone ever see iRobot?

Dont trust em mama

[Trik'Stari]

On 5/24/2019 at 6:15 AM, NeuesTestament said:

It's now news that Alexa is a privacy nightmare. The thing is most people don't care and buy "smart speakers" anyways.

Until it negatively infects them.

 

Until someone hacks into someone elses alexa and records them cheating on a spouse, or talking shit about their boss, and blackmails them with it. Then this will be an issue.

[jagdtigger]

14 hours ago, ewitte said:

Why do people buy these things?

Because they are lazy AF....

[ewitte]

18 hours ago, jagdtigger said:

Because they are lazy AF....

"Alexa" do my cardio for me.

[Misanthrope]

This is getting a little too close to "Amazon patented pre-aproving your credit card charges in anticipation of a product you might purchase according to both your purchasing habits and general consumer trends"