Google Home: A Content Vacuum?

October 12, 2017

i read “Google Is Nerfing All Home Minis Because Mine Spied on Everything I Said.” The write up is interesting because it documents a Google product which has a flaw; that is, the Google Home device in question acts like a content vacuum cleaner. The device allegedly copies what it hears without the user’s permission. Google continues to assume me that it wants to do “better”. I think that doing better is a great idea, particularly when a smart assistant functions as a listening and recording device in a way that surprises a user. The original post cited above contains some nice words for Google, screenshots, and a gentle presentation of the alleged spy function. The European Union may find this device an interesting one to evaluate for privacy regulation compliance. I think “nerf” as a verb means “kill” or more colloquially “brick”; that is, the digital equivalent of shooting a horse. Alexa, what does nerfing mean? I think it means that Google is killing this “great idea”.

Stephen E Arnold, October 12, 2017

Comments

2 Responses to “Google Home: A Content Vacuum?”

  1. Anonymous on October 14th, 2017 6:41 pm

    ?????????? ???????????????? ???????????????????? ?????????? ???????????????????? ?????????????? ?????? ???????????? ??????????????????????? ?????????? ???????????????????????? ??????????????????????

    Google Home: A Content Vacuum? : Stephen E. Arnold @ Beyond Search

  2. Maddie Mondejar on October 25th, 2017 10:59 am

    Hey there deliah!

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