Erika Gimbel reports that the future of smart assistants on college campuses may be cloudy with a chance of privacy problems:
… So far, most of the device deployments serve to relay public information and perform standard services. But administrators are hoping that, in the future, student-centered, custom programming will personalize the experience.
It’s that personalization, though, that could potentially expose users to security risks. For example, a student may ask, “What’s my grade in this class?” Unless the device can verify who’s asking the question, the device could give an answer to just about anybody.
Smart assistant privacy issues have made national news. Although both Google Home and Amazon Echo have privacy settings so the devices don’t “listen” to random conversations, experts and consumer protection groups say the technology can mishear words and “wake up,” performing actions, storing data and becoming a target for cybercriminals.
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