@ClimateJenny@biodiversity.social
2026-09-21 12:50 UTC
Replies (8)
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@401matthall@mastodon.xyz 2026-09-21 18:45
@ClimateJenny@biodiversity.social This is the rollout of the AI feature on Echo. You can ask it to disable the AI features and it will comply. However I've noticed a marked decrease in useful responses since switching my device to the default mode. I strongly suspect they are actively reducing the usability of the default mode.
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@notthatdelta@furry.engineer 2026-09-21 13:52
@ClimateJenny@biodiversity.social This sounds like a topic 404 Media (https://www.404media.co/) might be interested in reporting on. Unfortunately I am not sure of the best way to contact them.
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@jonobie@social.coop 2026-09-21 15:15
@ClimateJenny@biodiversity.social Your Dad sounds a lot like my Dad, and I have no great suggestions but a lot of empathy. The stuff my Dad tells me about (as well as his absolutely out of control pile of email and physical mail where people are sending him nonstop scare tactics and scams) is horrifying. I guess the one idea I have is that for right now, Siri is probably a less objectionable voice assistant than something from Amazon, as the incentives are different? Depends on use cases, though, and whether it’s something he’s able to learn or not.
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@knud@mastodon.social 2026-09-21 17:13
@ClimateJenny@biodiversity.social OK, my take and my apologies beforehand: Echo, Alexa & Co. were the greatest marketing coup ever. People paid for devices that were basically designed to collect their personal data and if possible lock them into a sales ecosystem. That marketing to vulnerable people, that's not a bug, that the core business model, and always has been.
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@agreeable_landfall@mastodon.social 2026-09-21 17:32
@ClimateJenny@biodiversity.social I have a friend who has been smart-ifying his elderly mother's home. But all that is DIY and doesn't include these sorts of spyware devices. Obviously this is not what Big Tech wants to see, so I'm afraid that will remain a niche solution for people with caring relatives who are also technically capable.
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@ww@xyzzy.link 2026-09-21 17:58
@ClimateJenny@biodiversity.social if you can get a recording, sending it to @404mediaco@mastodon.social could be good
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@epicdemiologist@wandering.shop 2026-09-21 18:13
@ClimateJenny@biodiversity.social The only thing I can see that has a ghost of a chance is holding both the corporations and their executives fully responsible for all the harms, and making them pay more than they profited.
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@fskornia@glammr.us 2026-09-21 22:30
@ClimateJenny@biodiversity.social It's much later in the day, so you may have already gotten this advice. If he wants to try and continue to use the Echo, he could try to disable the "Alexa Plus" which is the more chatty model with the little girl voice (creepy!). He can try using the voice command, "Disable Alexa Plus" and it should rollback to the original assistant.