Excerpt:
"The East German Stasi was, at least, regarded with suspicion. But asleep-at-the-wheel Americans want their cars – their lives – to be bugged.

Supposedly, nothing is being recorded – that is to say, your words are merely transmitted to what is styled the “cloud,” a puffy-sounding euphemism for the ethereally connected data-mining AI Hive Mind that every connected device – car, phone or home appliance – is connected to. And nothing is supposedly transmitted to the cloud until you actually, specifically ask Alexa a question. This being necessary since the answers are not contained in a vast electronic encyclopedia within the car’s dashboard, somewhere.

The AI Hive Mind transmits the answer back and your Alexa – one of millions – speaks it.

But to believe what was transmitted isn’t also being recorded is to believe there’s nothing else in that cocktail Bill Cosby just served you.

People who have let Alexa move into their homes know all about it.

Though they never specifically asked Alexa about the best hairball remedy for their cat, suddenly ads for hairball remedies are popping up on their phones and pitches not-so-randomly appearing in their emails. Alexa, it turns out, was listening to their kitchen table conversation – all of it – and now some shystery company knows you’re interested in hairball remedies.

That sort of thing is innocuous, though there is a smarmy element of commodifying conversation to it. Of making every opening of the mouth – even in private (or so you thought) – an opportunity to make a sales pitch. It takes what is called suggestive selling to a whole new level of relentless intrusiveness and pushiness. Data mining is openly acknowledged to be the new revenue stream associated with the selling of new cars; which is becoming the re-selling of you – using your car.

But there is a not-innocuous aspect to this as well and it ought to be both obvious as well as alarming.

If Alexa is listening to your product preferences she can also hear your other preferences. Your political preferences, for instance.

If she can be programmed to listen for her name, she can be programmed to listen for any other word – which could be any trigger word the Big Tech companies decide they’re interested in hearing about.

Just say the word.

Wrongthinkful words, for instance. Like election fraud."
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Big Brother doesn't have to read your mind. You volunteer your every word.