Posted By RichC on June 28, 2019
Unfortunately I’ve bought into – or was “gifted” into 🙂 – BUT really enjoy the Amazon Echo smart speaker virtual assistant devices. I know Alexa is “always listening” (as is my cellphone, iPad, computers, etc) and that they are doing “who knows what”with my data, but probably not always what I want. Obviously, they dissect and analyse what is being said for marketing purposes, just as Google does with my search history (although I try to use DuckDuckGo.com) … but we get mixed signals as to what is being tracked, harvested, kept for profiling and being sold to others (yikes).
A Phys.org and USA Today does a decent job of reviewing the conundrum being faced by users who appreciate the tech conveniences, but question the amount of data Amazon needs to archive on not just the willing buyer of the Echo, but every person (minors, guests, pets, etc) that set foot in your home. At this point, Alexa doesn’t differentiate … she just listens and “feeds the beast” that is Amazon. All others competitors are likely doing the same to one degree or another — it is still the Wild West when it comes to privacy.
Here’s how to stop at least the tracking (read full article here) …
First of all, Amazon’s tracking defense is that by knowing your location, it can deliver products to your home faster. "For example, if we know your preferred shipping location, the specificity of our predictable shipping is really amazing," 
Amazon said in a statement. "Customers may see a message like, ‘if you order in the next 2:27 minutes, you will get this by tomorrow.’"
To stop Amazon tracking, begin by wiping out your browser histories. This setting is in tools; in Chrome, you click the three dots in the top right corner, go to More Tools, then Clear Browsing Data. This click will wipe out your browsing history, stored passwords and cookies. You’ll have a lot to input again after you do this. For instance, stored URLs and sign-ons will be wiped clean. So make sure you know your passwords or have them stored somewhere else before you do it.
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Category: Advice, Alexa, Marketing, Shopping, Technology, Video |
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Tags: Alexa, amazon, article, assistant, collection, data, echo, Marketing, phys.org, speaker, tech friday, techfriday, virtual
