The majority of what you say, type, look for, and buy is being tracked in some form. Big Tech provides us with excellent free things, but at the cost of our privacy.
Even your television viewing habits are packaged and sold to marketers. Here’s how to prevent your TV from tracking your movements.
Even more intrusive forms of spying exist. Concerned that someone is monitoring your phone? Review this list of warning signs.
You’re able to respond. A microphone blocker costs about $10. To pause recording, you slide it into your headphone jack. Purchase the cheapest headphones you can find and cut the earbuds off for an even more cost-effective do-it-yourself solution.
Amazon
Every time I claim that your Echo gadget is constantly listening, Amazon assures me that it is only doing so when you say the word “wake.” There is no difference in my opinion. In either case, if you disable the microphone on your Echo, there isn’t much use in keeping it around.
The true problem is that Amazon staff members are listening to your recordings. How to stop that is as follows:
• Tap the More menu button after launching the Alexa app on your phone.
• Click on Alexa Privacy under Settings.
Manage Your Alexa Data should be selected.
• Disable the toggles next to “Use messages to improve transcriptions” and “Help improve Alexa.”
In some circumstances, you can switch off the Echo’s microphone for more privacy. At the top of the device, press the on/off button for the microphone. The microphone is not active when this button is red. It will turn blue when you push the button once more to revive it.
Your mobile phone
Do you depend on Siri to complete tasks for you? It’s possible that you are unaware of the amount transferred back to Apple’s servers.
If you don’t want Apple to have access to your recordings, your best option is to turn off Siri because you can’t actually choose what is sent out and saved.
• Launch the iPhone’s Settings app.
• Select Siri & Search by swiping down.
• Turn the green switch next to “Listen for “Hey Siri”” off.”
• You may also disable “Allow Siri When Locked” to stop Siri from launching whenever a button in your pocket is pushed.
