Virtual assistants can be very useful, as they enable you to request a song, get the news headlines or find a recipe, all with the power of your voice.
However, a new report has warned that the likes of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant could cause problems for users in the run-up to Christmas.
In an article published by The Sun Online, an expert claimed that the speakers could listen to parents’ discussions about potential Christmas presents for their kids and accidentally ORDER them.
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Virtual assistance has become very popular in recent times, with gadgets containing the technology appearing in homes all across the country.
Both Amazon’s Echo series of speakers and Google’s equivalent Home range (now Nest) have been selling like hot cakes.
But The Sun’s article warned parents to take caution when using them during the festive season.
This year they might be ordering the families’ presents for them.
Matt Horan, of C3IA Solutions in Dorset, told the newspaper: “With Christmas approaching, I can foresee many people answering doors to delivery drivers with packages that the person knows nothing about – and which their ‘home helper’ has ordered for them.
“Last year, these virtual assistants were enormously popular Christmas presents. This year they might be ordering the families’ presents for them.
“The most sensible [approach] is to disable the voice purchasing element of the device, or at least set up a passcode. And of course they can be turned off when you’re having detailed discussions about potential items you might want.”
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Amazon’s cheapest speaker, the Echo Dot, was its biggest-selling product during last year’s Christmas period.
The equally popular Google equivalent, the Home Mini, was renamed the Nest Mini earlier this year.
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