According to a recent report, a bug in Google Home smart speakers allowed for the installation of a backdoor account that could be used to control the device and access its microphone feed. In short, hackers could take over Google’s devices to spy on users by listening in on their conversations.
Google is taking legal action against smart speaker company Sonos with two lawsuits alleging that the company is infringing on a number of its patents. The two companies have been locked in an ongoing legal war for years, with Sonos previously winning a case against the Masters of the Universe. The smaller company claims the lawsuits are designed to “retaliate against Sonos for speaking out against Google’s monopolistic practices.”
Researchers at the University of Washington have reportedly found a new way to screen for irregular heartbeats — using smart speakers such as the Amazon Alexa or Google Home to detect variations in heart rhythms.
Speaker manufacturer Sonos has reportedly sued tech giant Google over the alleged theft of smart speaker technology. According to Sonos CEO Patrick Spence, “Despite our repeated and extensive efforts over the last few years, Google has not shown any willingness to work with us on a mutually beneficial solution. We’re left with no choice but to litigate.”
The editor of the Mozilla Foundation’s Internet Health Report recently published a blog post on the website of the UK consumer association Which? that questions how privacy-focused the smart devices being pushed by the Masters of the Universe are.
A majority of smart speaker owners in the United States are concerned about privacy and their devices’ ability to collect personal data, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center.
Recent reports claim that Amazon Alexa and Google Home smart speakers can be targeted by malicious apps that use the devices to listen in on users and steal passwords.
Tech giant Google has reportedly dropped to third place in the worldwide smart speaker market. Although Amazon rules the market for devices always listening to their customers, Chinese tech giant Baidu has now overtaken Google in the race to install speakers in homes.
