Topic: Google Assistant

A listener reported that a suggestion to shame smart-speaker owners by triggering embarrassing searches actually worked. While the listener was playing the podcast through a Bluetooth speaker, the host's voice triggered the listener's phone to perform a search for "butt porn." The incident served as a demonstration of the privacy risks associated with always-listening devices.

The ongoing social conflict in the Netherlands over "Black Pete" is discussed, with reports that millennials working as Google Assistant raters are hearing an "unparalleled" amount of racist queries from Dutch users. On a personal note, one host reports that his new "Off The Grid" blue phone has bricked and refuses to boot, leading to a joke about the ultimate privacy phone being one with no battery.

A listener reported success with a suggested "privacy shaming" tactic where a host triggers a guest's smart speaker to perform an embarrassing search. The listener, Brad, confirmed that the podcast audio triggered his phone's Google Assistant to search for "butt porn" via a Bluetooth speaker. The hosts use this to highlight the always-listening nature of big tech devices.

Millennial contractors working for tech giants like Google, Apple, and Amazon are tasked with reviewing voice recordings to train machine learning algorithms. These workers reportedly listen to various private queries, ranging from users yelling at the device to requests for explicit content. The hosts highlight the lack of privacy for users and the low wages paid to these "eavesdropping" contractors.

Google has enabled a feature allowing users to make charitable donations via Google Assistant voice commands. The hosts warn against using the service due to Google's restrictive terms of service and historical issues with Google Wallet, advocating instead for direct "Value for Value" support.

A Nest thermostat user received a notification requesting broad permissions for Google Assistant to access camera feeds, motion alerts, and facial recognition data. The notification offered no "disallow" or "block" option, forcing users to accept the terms or exit the app. The hosts warn about the invasive nature of smart home devices and the prevalence of "Stingray" cell-site simulators in Washington D.C.

The hosts debate the future of autonomous vehicles following President Obama's pledge to accelerate their deployment. One host bets that fully self-driving cars will not happen in their lifetime, arguing that the technology will remain limited to driver assistance features like adaptive cruise control. They criticize the push for driverless cars as "stupid" compared to improving inter-car communication.