Alexa and Siri Can Hear This Hidden Command. You can’t

Article Summary:

Researchers can now send secret audio instructions undetectable to the human ear to Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Assistant.

AppIt Review:

This story is another good example of the ongoing debate in tech on the balance of security vs. usability and convenience. I appreciate how the author pointed out that technology is continuing to race ahead of regulations and our legal system to protect consumers.

While technological advances are exciting — they demonstrate our creativity and capability as software developers, this gap between progress and protection highlights two important issues: First, it’s becoming more and more clear that consumers are truly dependent on the good character of those designing these technological advances. Second, this shines a light on the growing importance of consumers to be advocates for their own security and protection. The paradox here is that being your own advocate requires time, thought and consideration, which is the opposite of convenience and ease, which these technological advances are intended to bring about.

Read Full Article at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/10/technology/alexa-siri-hidden-command-audio-attacks.html