If you should be aware of anything, it should be that if you have an Internet connected microphone the only way to truly know it’s muted is to remove it from power.
Are you saying just… firewall all the Echoes, lock them out of any ability to access the actual internet?
So they never phone home?
I mean… yeah I guess that could work, if you took the time to manually do custom firmware updates on them in some way that only involves your local (hospital) intranet… and overrides the default proprietary firmware and basically flashes it with some custom system that doesn’t rely on AWS connections to work… if… that even exists…
Their hospital oriented implementation… was… reliant on a constant AWS connection to actually process voice recordings, transform them into text or some other digital format, then send that back to the hospital, “securely.”
Apparently they actually lost HIPAA compliance back in 22.
If they are literally just a being used as an intercomm system… why would you even use Echoes?
There are tons of other, actually HIPAA compliant, hospital oriented, digital intercomm software systems and manufacturers.
Seriously, please explain to me how ‘802.11x’, a term that means ‘all wifi standards’, somehow solves the problem of Echoes being non HIPAA compliant, requiring constant access to Amazon servers to actually process the raw audio…
I had a few Google Home devices, they had a switch to turn off the mic. I assume it was legit switch, because the thing literally yelled at you and had bright red lights any time you muted it. It literally said “The mic is turned off” every time it booted up in a voice that reminds me of a child tattling on their sibling.
This. They don’t give a shit about the tiny, infinitesimal percentage of people like me and my fellow privacy-conscious lemmings that understand what’s going on, care about it, and refuse to participate.
This is why regulations to reign in corporate bullshit exist, expecting the average person to have even the faintest idea why this is important isn’t reasonable.
The first-gen echo devices at least actually had a board that listened for the activation word only that then powered on the main device. It’s why you couldn’t name them whatever you wanted, but had to choose between “Echo”, “Alexa”, “Amazon”, or “Computer.”
Ah yes. “Muted”.
If you should be aware of anything, it should be that if you have an Internet connected microphone the only way to truly know it’s muted is to remove it from power.
And now they don’t even give a shit about pretending to hide it
https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2025/03/amazon-disables-option-to-store-echo-voice-recordings-on-your-device
Yep, was gonna post this.
Good luck, this hospital’s IT department, good fucking luck.
They don’t need it. 802.11x. Problem solved.
… Can you expand on what you mean by that?
Are you saying just… firewall all the Echoes, lock them out of any ability to access the actual internet?
So they never phone home?
I mean… yeah I guess that could work, if you took the time to manually do custom firmware updates on them in some way that only involves your local (hospital) intranet… and overrides the default proprietary firmware and basically flashes it with some custom system that doesn’t rely on AWS connections to work… if… that even exists…
Their hospital oriented implementation… was… reliant on a constant AWS connection to actually process voice recordings, transform them into text or some other digital format, then send that back to the hospital, “securely.”
https://www.hipaajournal.com/amazon-ends-support-for-third-party-hipaa-eligible-alexa-skills/
Apparently they actually lost HIPAA compliance back in 22.
If they are literally just a being used as an intercomm system… why would you even use Echoes?
There are tons of other, actually HIPAA compliant, hospital oriented, digital intercomm software systems and manufacturers.
Seriously, please explain to me how ‘802.11x’, a term that means ‘all wifi standards’, somehow solves the problem of Echoes being non HIPAA compliant, requiring constant access to Amazon servers to actually process the raw audio…
Please elaborate.
I had a few Google Home devices, they had a switch to turn off the mic. I assume it was legit switch, because the thing literally yelled at you and had bright red lights any time you muted it. It literally said “The mic is turned off” every time it booted up in a voice that reminds me of a child tattling on their sibling.
Have some too, I would not be surprised if it’s a software driven hardware switch lol
Some of them have hardware switches
but that could simply be wired to an LED and nothing else
By that logic these devices can have internal batteries too.
And ones without internet can have secret antennas
These companies don’t even have to go to that much trouble, since people seem to be just fine connecting everything to the internet willingly.
This. They don’t give a shit about the tiny, infinitesimal percentage of people like me and my fellow privacy-conscious lemmings that understand what’s going on, care about it, and refuse to participate.
This is why regulations to reign in corporate bullshit exist, expecting the average person to have even the faintest idea why this is important isn’t reasonable.
I agree 100%. You shouldn’t have to be a fucking engine mechanic to drive to the grocery store.
So do phones.
The first-gen echo devices at least actually had a board that listened for the activation word only that then powered on the main device. It’s why you couldn’t name them whatever you wanted, but had to choose between “Echo”, “Alexa”, “Amazon”, or “Computer.”
I chose “Not Available At This Residence”.
Preferably, by throwing it out a 6th-floor window
You could always get a multimeter and check the voltage outgoing the ADC if you are skeptical.