Posted 6/9/2023

Alexa is a product from Amazon designed to function as a personal assistant of sorts. It is a cloud-based service that responds to the human voice, allowing users to interact with technology. Similarly, Siri is offered by Apple and has comparable features wherein people can place phone calls, activate devices, set reminders, and play music. Both Alexa and Siri have the ability to answer questions as well, though this attribute has had quite a few hiccups. Because of the way Alexa and Siri work, there have been worries that they're always listening, even when you're not giving commands. This is true because they are awaiting a "wake" word - a specific sound that triggers operation. However, the fact that conversation is constantly monitored is unsettling to some. Alexa, for instance, may accidentally record if it "thinks" it heard its wake word or certain other sounds... Click Here.

The recordings made by Alexa are sent to Amazon, captured from unsuspecting people. Tons of data exist on their servers, with the storage capacity of some data collection centers far exceeding an exabyte (1,000,000,000 GB). Everything from the uniqueness of someone's voice (keep in mind A.I. can duplicate voices) to their personal habits and even moments of intimacy can be stockpiled. It's unknown how corporations plan to use this data, though people are always reassured they have no malintent. Reminiscent of the 1995 film Batman Forever, the Riddler, played by Jim Carrey, spied on people using a device called 'the Box,' which he put in their homes. The Box would steal information from people's minds and transfer it to the Riddler, who was able to discover Batman's secret identity with it. Years ago, this idea was in the realm of science fiction, but today, there are fears that it's science fact. While things may not be that extreme yet, the concept of invasive surveillance and information gathering has been realized. By the way, Batman Forever was the one where the late great actor, Val Kilmer, portrayed the caped crusader.