Google. Always listening.

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This may stoke the flames of paranoia or "Big Brother" is listening, or insert your favorite political conspiracy.

Go to Google.com (the search page). In the search window is says "Say OK Google" where you can also type your query.

Say those words, wait for the tone. Ask the question and it searches.

So basically your mic is always on, with no input from you turning it on, listening for "Say OK Google"...you got to wonder what else is being captured.

I have an iMac and assume it works with Windows, too.
 
You must have enabled it, i hit the mic button and had to enable it.
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I use it a ton on my phone.
 
this is why i dont have my mic even plugged in it is so easy for anyone to listen or turn on your camera my neighbor showed me how easy it is. Im not concerened about big brother its all the other people out there..If anyone thinks their pc is safe you need to rethink that everyone is watching. I never ever use my p.c. for anything i want private. Come to think of it i live a boring life lol
 
If you want privacy, pull the plug and/or remove the battery. Don't use a credit/debit card or a cell phone and don't have a bank account. Be careful about what job you accept. And that's just the start....
 
Hard to imagine Google spying on your random rantings on the phone, mutterings to your monitor and yelling at the dog.
 
Originally Posted By: SrDriver
Will not work unless you say "OK Google". Like the feature and use it a lot.


The point he's making is that the device has to constantly listen for that exact phrase, so the question becomes... what else is it listening to?

This is the same kind of concern that the X-Box One had to deal with, because it had both a camera and a microphone that was always on and pointed right at your couch in your living room.

Personally, I don't like these types of devices, but they're generally not difficult to avoid or defeat. On your PC you can just not plug in a mic, or mute it if it's integrated. With Android devices you simply turn off the feature, and it doesn't listen with the device isn't "awake."

If Google is listening for anything other than "Ok Google" it's probably for marketing purposes so they can sell the data and target advertisements at you. I'm not saying this is a good thing or that I support it, I'm just saying.
 
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