In a world increasingly dominated by smart technology, experts are raising alarms about the privacy risks associated with smart speakers and mobile applications. Recent warnings from Consumer Reports highlight how these devices, while convenient, can inadvertently compromise user confidentiality.
Smart speakers, known for their ability to play music, report weather, and answer queries, have been found to record and store user conversations, including private family disputes. According to Consumer Reports, a staggering 78% of these devices retain a history of voice queries from the moment they are activated. This alarming statistic underscores the potential for personal data leaks.
In a notable incident from 2021, a journalist from The Guardian discovered that his smart speaker had recorded a conversation with his wife regarding their divorce. This revelation was not just a personal embarrassment but also a stark reminder of how these devices can capture sensitive information without users' awareness. Furthermore, in 2022, hackers breached data security, exposing 500 hours of private conversations, which included discussions about health and financial matters.
While users can delete their voice query history, backups remain in the cloud for up to 90 days, creating an additional layer of risk. Experts advise users to think critically about what information they share with smart speakers, suggesting that trusting these devices with secrets may not be wise.
On a related note, Apple has long positioned itself as a champion of user privacy, but this commitment presents challenges in developing its advanced AI features, known as Apple Intelligence. These features aim to enhance services like Siri, summarize emails, and create images, but effective model training requires data. To navigate this dilemma, Apple has opted to generate synthetic data instead of collecting real user information.
For instance, when dealing with emails, Apple’s model automatically creates multiple versions of typical emails, such as invitations to tennis matches, in various lengths and styles. These synthetic versions are then transformed into numerical representations, or 'embeddings', which are sent to a limited number of iPhone users who have enabled the 'Device Analytics' feature.
In this process, the iPhones compare the synthetic data with real emails stored on the device, ensuring that no information is sent to Apple. The device assesses how closely the synthetic version matches the actual email, and the results are sent back anonymously using a method called differential privacy. This technique adds random noise to the data, preventing the identification of specific users.
Apple’s approach to privacy extends to its Genmoji feature, where only the most common patterns of user queries are monitored without linking them to individual users or Apple IDs. Participation in these tests is entirely voluntary, and users can opt out at any time through their settings.
Looking ahead, Apple plans to expand this synthetic data approach in future updates for iOS 18.5, iPadOS 18.5, and macOS Plans Sequoia 15.5, targeting other features such as memory creation and intelligent writing.
Meanwhile, experts are also sounding the alarm about mobile applications that request excessive permissions, posing a significant threat to user privacy. These applications can monitor users around the clock, accessing data unrelated to their primary functions. One of the most concerning permissions is access to the microphone.
Some lesser-known messaging apps and games can record audio even when users are not interacting with them. Experts advise users to scrutinize which applications have microphone access and disable it for those that do not need it. Additionally, camera access can also be misused, with some apps activating the camera in the background without the user's knowledge, a common practice among social networks and photo editing apps.
Another concerning trend is the constant tracking of location by applications such as weather services and photo editors. This not only threatens user security but also drains battery life. Experts recommend checking the 'Location' settings and disabling geolocation for apps that do not require it.
Furthermore, permissions to access contacts and SMS can lead to personal data leaks. To safeguard their information, users are encouraged to review privacy settings and restrict access to contacts and messages for apps lacking legitimate reasons.
Background operation and auto-launch features of applications also present potential risks, as they allow apps to run even when the device is in sleep mode, which can lead to data leaks. Experts urge users to regularly check their app settings, disabling background operations and auto-launch for potentially dangerous applications.
In a separate economic update, financial market analysts predict that the dollar will fluctuate between 83 and 86 rubles this week, while the euro is expected to range between 95 and 98 rubles. This forecast comes amidst ongoing discussions about the economic implications of privacy regulations and technology advancements.
As technology continues to evolve, the balance between convenience and privacy remains a critical issue. Users are urged to remain vigilant and informed about the permissions they grant to devices and applications. With the increasing capabilities of smart speakers and mobile apps, understanding how these technologies operate and their potential risks is more important than ever.
