Installing voice-controlled devices at home means balancing privacy risks with the conveniences they offer. Here’s how to minimise their eavesdropping potential

Did someone invite a spy into your home over the holidays? Maybe, especially if a friend or family member gifted you a voice-controlled speaker or some other smart device.

It’s easy to forget but everything from internet-connected speakers with voice assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa to television sets with built-in Netflix can be always listening — and sometimes watching, too. As with almost all new technology, installing such devices means balancing privacy risks with the conveniences they offer.

A research firm estimates worldwide shipments of 815 million smart speakers, security cameras and other devices in 2019, up by 23 per cent from 2018. Many of the sales are for gifts.

You could sidestep the risks altogether by returning the devices right away. But if you decide to keep them — and the artificial intelligence behind them — there are a few things you can do to minimise their eavesdropping potential.

The speakers listen... and watch

Smart speakers such as Amazon’s Echo and Google Home let you check weather and appointments with simple voice commands. Fancier versions come with cameras and screens.

Many of these devices listen constantly for commands and connect to corporate servers to carry them out. Typically, they will ignore private chatter and transmit sound recordings only when you trigger the device such as by pressing a button or speaking a command phrase like “OK Google.” Some gadgets also have a mute button to disable the microphones completely.

But there’s no easy way for consumers to verify those safeguards. In one case, the Alexa assistant in an Echo device misheard background conversation as a command to send the chatter to an acquittance — and so it did.

One more catch: Voice commands sent over the internet are typically stored indefinitely and may include conversations in the background. They can be sought in lawsuits and investigations.

Reputable companies let you review and delete your voice history. Amazon now lets you request automatic deletions after three or 18 months but you need to set that up, and there’s no option to keep Amazon from saving your command history at all.

Until recently, tech companies allowed employees and contractors to review the voice interactions for quality control — and some of those details leaked. Following a backlash, many companies are at least making it clearer and easier to opt out of human review.

As for those screen models, many also have cameras for video chats. When you’re not using the device, consider turning it around to face the wall, especially in the bedroom and other private settings. Or stick a bandage or some tape over the camera. It shouldn’t be recording but why tempt fate?

Security with security video

Online security cameras let you check in on your pets or kids when you’re not home. Amazon’s Ring doorbell lets you check who’s at the door without getting up. Here’s the rub: If you can view video on an app, it’s possible that a skilled hacker can, too.

When you use the same password at multiple services, a hacker stealing your password from one place can try it on the camera service, too. So never reuse a password. When available, enable two-factor authentication, which requires you to enter a temporary code sent as a text to ensure it’s you.

Are smart locks really smart?

Smart locks let you unlock doors with an app so you can let guests in even when you’re not home. Burglars might try to hack the system, though it’s often easier for them to just break a window. As a precaution, disable any capabilities to unlock doors through a smart speaker voice command.

Though digital keys can be convenient for letting in guests and contractors, they can also leave a digital trail.

About those TVs

Many smart TVs and TV streaming devices come with mics for voice-activated playback controls and video search. That means having audio snippets transmitted over the internet. There’s a simple fix: Just don’t connect the TV to your Wi-Fi in the first place.