There's no denying how convenient voice assistants have become in this generation. With your voice alone, you can perform a lot of tasks, thanks to Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri, too, comes in handy at times. Along with the success of voice assistants and smart speakers, however, comes a serious issue that makes a lot of people nervous, especially smart home and security companies.
Both Google and Amazon last year began subjecting their customers to constant status-change updates from devices. These updates are the vehicle in which these companies can gather data each time you turn something on or off, let's say, your paired smart bulbs.
To most customers, the updates aren't much of a big deal. So who's complaining? Several smart home developers -- that's who.
Security has always been an issue in smart home devices. It has been for quite a while, all that data gathering and stuff, but the new status-change updates are apparently even scarier, at least according to one smart home developer CNET communicated with.
According to the tech publication, status updates make users more at risk of security compromise, and it gives tech companies like Google and Amazon access to more personal data than ever before. But what do tech giants think about all of these?
Amazon says it's all about convenience. Google says the same thing.
Voice assistants exist because they can do things on behalf of customers. Without constant data gathering, how else would they know the status of your smart home devices?
The practice also allows for the little but very important reminders to appear, such as turning off the lights before you leave or locking the doors before retiring at night. While these are all appealing to a lot of customers, it comes at a price.
"[Status update] data gives platforms [like Google and Amazon] a privileged position that no one manufacturer enjoys," said Brad Russell, the Research Director of smart home devices at research firm Parks Associates Inc.
So yes, all that data -- yours and countless users across the globe -- it's in the hands of these huge tech companies. But Amazon and Google have both issued statements before that they're taking good care of your personal info and every single data that involves you and your house.
Still, a lot of concerned individuals question the safety of their data. The thing is, though, you're not exactly forced to agree to Google or Amazon's policies. They're not even forcing you to buy smart home products compatible with their voice assistants.
At the end of the day, it's all about customer discretion. Will you enjoy the convenience of this amazing tech at the risk of your security, or simply forgo having to experience the convenience but stay secured?
As consumers, we're given very little choice of what not and what to share. If you ask me, the most important thing is for these companies to disclose what's at stake. Keeping things from us won't do you any good.
