this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2025
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[–] deranger@sh.itjust.works 9 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (13 children)

Why has no security researcher published evidence of these devices with microphones uploading random conversations? Nobody working on the inside has ever leaked anything regarding this potentially massive breach of privacy? A perfectly secret conspiracy by everyone involved?

We know more about top secret NSA programs than we do about this proposed Alexa spy mechanism. None of the people working on this at Amazon have wanted to leak anything?

I’m not saying it’s not possible, but it seems extremely improbable to me that everyone’s microphones are listening to their conversations, they’re being uploaded somewhere to serve them better ads, and absolutely nobody has leaked anything or found any evidence.

[–] b1t@lemm.ee 6 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (4 children)

Argument from ignorance

It's better to be safe than sorry is all I'm saying.

Edit: There's also this.

[–] deranger@sh.itjust.works 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (1 children)

I’m not saying it’s not possible

There is no argument from ignorance fallacy in what I said. I am not claiming these devices never send audio without you wanting because there’s no evidence to the contrary.

However, the idea that everyone’s microphones are always listening, and that’s why you saw an ad for whatever after talking to your friend, yet not a single person has observed a device uploading this kind of data, nor has anyone ever leaked any kind of information on this supposed system, is extremely unlikely to be true in my opinion.

They don’t need microphones to do this. Regular tracking is plenty to do a good job at suggesting you a highly relevant ad, and frequency illusion does the rest. You’re not noticing the thousand times you see ads that are irrelevant to whatever you were talking about, but the one time you do notice really sticks out.

Frankly there are plenty of more concerning ways of violating our privacy that are out in the open that I believe are a much higher priority than mics always recording, of which there is no evidence for.

[–] b1t@lemm.ee 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

If no proof is offered (in either direction), then the proposition can be called unproven, undecided, inconclusive, an open problem or a conjecture.

Stating that you don't think that it's possible is irrelevant. It's either happening or it isn't. True or false. P or ¬P.

is extremely unlikely to be true in my opinion.

Is an argument from ignorance. Not trying to be rude, but this is basic logic.

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