- Mschf has released an Alexagate device that uses ultrasonic sound to lock Amazon Echo microphones.
- It seems to work, but it’s completely unnecessary, and raises questions about why you have a speaker.
Understandably, you’re concerned about the privacy of Amazon Echo speakers and other devices that are always waiting for your command, but a solution to that privacy might be overkill.
Geekologie He reports that the inventors of Mschf have released Alexagate, an additional $ 99 device that interferes with the microphones in most Echo speakers. Place it on top of your Echo and use seven ultrasonic speakers to neutralize the microphones. You only need to clap three times to turn the interference on or off, and an indicator makes it clear when Alexa isn’t listening.
Supposedly works fine. Mschf claimed that he could only get to Alexa by screaming, and then only “six inches away.” In casual use, then, Alexa shouldn’t hear a thing.
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Alexagate is both a statement about the privacy intrusions of technology and a shipping product, but it’s also completely unnecessary. These speakers have microphone mute buttons that are much cheaper to use, and if you don’t trust that button to prevent Echo from listening, why do you have the speaker in the first place?
There is also a question about whether the concern is justified or not. Amazon, like other voice assistant creators, does not constantly record conversations. The Echo waits for your keyword (like “Alexa”) before starting to record anything, and then only for the duration of the command. The concern is more than an echo could mistakenly detect a keyword and record snippets of conversation without realizing it. It is a legitimate problem, but not necessarily one that justifies the purchase of a device like Alexagate.
