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“Alexa, tell us the biggest mistake we’re making that is compromising our privacy and security.”
If only it were that easy. Amazon Alexa is an uber popular virtual assistant technology that can do lots of things — play your favorite songs, check on the weather, remind you of your day’s appointments — but you will have to do some digging on your own to figure out how it can also compromise your security. Many people are hip to the fact that Alexa can be strange at times when it comes to the amount of information it’s listening to, but the truth of the matter is: one common mistake you could be making may also be contributing to this. We spoke with tech experts and uncovered the worst mistake you can make when using Amazon Alexa.
Bad Location
Location, location, location — it matters a great deal when it comes to where you place your Alexa device. Maybe you excitedly set yours up wherever you had space, without considering what that could mean to your security. But experts say that’s one common mistake people make.
“You should not place Alexa at a place where an outsider can access it and breach your privacy,” says Miranda Yan, Founder of VinPit. “This becomes even more vital when you have integrated Alexa with your home devices. An outsider can use it to breach your privacy and get access to intelligent devices without your permission.”
Gary Evans, founder of Business Energy Rates, agrees: “Place your Alexa not too close to windows and doors. This is because outside voices can trigger the device to perform actions. You can also disturb your neighbors by placing Alexa too close to the door.”
And it’s not just window and entryways that you should avoid when it comes to Alexa’s placement.
“Placing Alexa anywhere near your TV can also kick it on, and it might start recording what's being played, which causes unnecessary disturbances,” Yan says. “However, when we talk about security, Alexa can record your private conversation with someone even after the command is done, which can violate your privacy. To prevent this, you need to place it correctly at a distant place and efficiently operate voice commands.”
It’s not just your imagination: Alexa is sensitive. And because it is designed to be so smart and sensitive, it picks up everything.
“People should understand that smart speech devices like Alexa are always listening,” Yan says. “If I’m not too bold in saying,- always ‘eavesdropping’ on your conversations and waiting for you to trigger their function. Therefore, you must keep its setting in check and place it appropriately to avoid it from creepily stalking in you. Also, Alexa cannot selectively filter different voices, so you need to be cautious about who can command it.”
Another tip to avoid a major security issue with Alexa? Use a PIN for voice purchasing.
“Amazon Alexa allows you to make purchases using voice input. This allows anyone to use Alexa and make purchases,” Evans says. “In order to avoid that you must use PIN protection or disable voice purchases completely. You can set up a PIN by going to settings and selecting the voice purchasing tab. You can also disable voice purchasing from the same settings. Not using a PIN leaves your device open to purchase for everyone. Your payment details are already saved and anyone giving Alexa a go ahead will complete the purchase. This risks the privacy of your card details being used by unauthorized third parties.”
The more steps you take to secure Alexa, the less likely you’ll be a victim to security and privacy breaches as a result of it.
