1 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: Just how did Alexa record a conversation and send it 2 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:09,799 Speaker 1: to a contact? What's going on? I'm Rich Damiro. This 3 00:00:10,039 --> 00:00:12,320 Speaker 1: is rich on Tech Daily. It's one of the biggest 4 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,200 Speaker 1: setbacks yet for smart speakers. A new story out of 5 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:19,280 Speaker 1: Seattle that and Alexa secretly recorded a couple's conversation then 6 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:21,760 Speaker 1: sent it to one of their contacts. So how did 7 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:24,119 Speaker 1: this happen? Let's break it down like you. When I 8 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: first heard about the story, I was intrigued. The headlines 9 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:31,480 Speaker 1: says it all woman says her Amazon device recorded private conversation, 10 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: sent it out to a random contact. Then I watched 11 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 1: the segment, which was done by a local news station 12 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: in Seattle, and I was kind of confused. I really 13 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 1: wanted to know how this could happen. The statement Amazon 14 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:44,559 Speaker 1: gave the station was pretty light on facts, but then 15 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:46,400 Speaker 1: the big blogs picked up on it and they got 16 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: a better statement from Amazon, which said Echo woke up 17 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:51,840 Speaker 1: due to a word in the background conversation that sounded 18 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: like Alexa. Then they heard send a message request, at 19 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 1: which point Alexa said to whom, to which the background 20 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,680 Speaker 1: conversation was interpreted as a name in the contact list. 21 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:05,480 Speaker 1: Then Alexa said the customer's name out right, Alexa interpreted 22 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: in another background conversation as right and as unlikely as 23 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 1: this string of events is, said Amazon, we are evaluating 24 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: options to make this case even less likely. All right? 25 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 1: So what that all means? The issue stems from a 26 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:22,559 Speaker 1: feature on the Echo called Alexa Calling and Messaging, which 27 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: means you can send voice messages to others who use 28 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:28,759 Speaker 1: messaging with Alexa on their Echo. So how does that 29 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:31,480 Speaker 1: work well? For starters? When you open the Amazon Alexa 30 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:33,679 Speaker 1: app on your phone for the very first time, it 31 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 1: asks you if it can have access to all of 32 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:39,640 Speaker 1: your address book contacts. Most people just say yes, and 33 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 1: when you do, Alexa imports all of your contacts. This 34 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:45,559 Speaker 1: makes it easy for her to send messages or place 35 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: a phone call using Alexa as a speakerphone. According to 36 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: Amazon support page, to send a message to someone in 37 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: this case, this recorded private conversation, here's what you say. 38 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: You say, Alexa send a message to the contacts name. 39 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 1: If the name is similar to other contacts in your 40 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: address book, Alexa will repeat the name back for you 41 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: to confirm. Once you confirm the name, Alexa prompts you 42 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: for the message. When you finish talking Alexa sends your 43 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: voice message. Now, I tried this on my Echo and 44 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:13,639 Speaker 1: realized a big part of this is that the person 45 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 1: on the other end also has to have an Echo 46 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: with the messaging feature enabled. In this case, it was 47 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:20,240 Speaker 1: an employee of the husband in the couple, So I'm 48 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: guessing they mentioned this person's name or something that sounded 49 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:26,399 Speaker 1: like his name. Alexa tried to confirm. The couple didn't notice, 50 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: said something that Alexa construed as a confirmation, went on 51 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: with their conversation. Alexa recorded it, then sent it off 52 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: to the guy, who then called the couple and said, 53 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:37,320 Speaker 1: you're being hacked. Now, a lot of things did go 54 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: wrong here for this particular case to happen, but the 55 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: bottom line is this Alexa with all smart speakers, they 56 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 1: mishear commands all the time. I see my Google Home 57 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 1: slide up when I'm not saying the hot word. But 58 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: there's also a bigger problem here. You would think that 59 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: to prevent this from happening in the future, you would 60 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: just be able to disable the messaging feature completely, or 61 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:58,519 Speaker 1: if you can't do that, delete the contacts out of 62 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: your Alexa app so Alexa can't call them or message them. 63 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: But guess what. You can't do either of these things easily. 64 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: To disable the messaging feature or delete your contacts off 65 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: Amazon servers. Both of these things require a phone call 66 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: or at least a chat with Amazon's customer service team, 67 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: and that is the real problem here. Once Alexa imports 68 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: your contacts, you really can't pry them out of her 69 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 1: virtual hands. Amazon needs to change this asap, and I 70 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: assume they're going to do that very soon, or at 71 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 1: least give people some sort of easy way to toggle 72 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:32,600 Speaker 1: messaging with Alexa on and off. Some mistakes like this 73 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: don't happen again. Thanks so much for listening to the podcast. 74 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: If you like what I'm doing here, please leave me 75 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: a review in the Apple Podcasts app. That way more 76 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:43,839 Speaker 1: people discover the podcast. I'm Rich Tamiro. You can find 77 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: links to everything I talk about here. Plus, if you 78 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 1: want to see my video demo of the Alexa messaging feature, 79 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 1: just go to richon tech dot tv. I'm Rich Samiro. 80 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 1: I'll talk to you real soon.