Virtual assistant privacy

The Virtual Security Button, which would detect motion, has been proposed as a method of adding multilayer authentication to devices that currently only have a single layer; devices with single layer authentication solely require a voice to be activated. This voice could be any person, not necessarily the intended human, which makes the method unreliable. Currently, there is only one layer of authentication which is the voice; there is not a layer that requires the owner of the virtual assistant to be present. Thus, with only one barrier to access all of the information virtual assistants have access to, concerns regarding the security of information exchanged are raised. Such privacy concerns have influenced the technology sector to think of ways to add more verification, such as a Virtual Security Button. In order to not always be listened to, an iPhone user can turn off the "Hey Siri" function. Without this function turned on, the device will not always be listening for those two words and other information will not be overheard in the process. This voice authentication serves as a singular layer, since only the voice is used to authenticate the user. ==Examples of virtual assistants==

Amazon Alexa This virtual assistant is linked to the "Echo" speaker created by Amazon and is primarily a device controlled by the voice that can play music, give information to the user, and perform other functions. Since the device is controlled by the voice, there are no buttons involved in its usage. The device does not have a measure to determine whether or not the voice heard is actually the consumer. Any information, such as one's location, that is given away in an exchange with a virtual assistant is stored in these ecosystems. Siri's level of authentication Apple's Siri also has solely one level of authentication. If one has a passcode, in order to utilize various features, Siri will require the passcode to be inputted. However, consumers value convenience so passcodes are not in all devices. Moreover, this artificial intelligence feature helps to allay privacy concerns regarding the potential exchange of confidential user information between Uber and Lyft employees. However, even the artificial intelligence utilized can "interact" with each other, so these privacy concerns for the companies are still relevant. == Potential Privacy Risks of Virtual Assistants ==

Source: • The publicly accessible voice channel they employ • The intricacy of their architecture • Their dependence on AI functionalities • The utilization of diverse underlying technologies ==Accessibility of terms of use==

The terms of use that one has to approve when first getting their device is what gives corporations like Apple Corporation access to information. These agreements outline both the functions of devices, what information is private, and any other information that the company thinks is necessary to expose. Even for customers that do read this information, the information is often decoded in a vague and unclear manner. The text is objectively a small font and is often considered too wordy or lengthy in scope for the average user. ==Privacy by design==

Privacy by design makes the interface more secure for the user. Privacy by design is when a product's blueprint incorporates aspects of privacy into how the object or program is created. This way, corporations do not have to build privacy into their designs in the future; designs can be written with privacy in mind. This would allow for a more fail-safe method to make sure that algorithms of privacy would not leave even edge cases out. ==Artificial intelligence==

Artificial intelligence as a whole attempts to emulate human actions and provide the menial services that humans provide, but should not have to be bothered with. In the process of automating these actions, various technological interfaces are formed. The problem that has to be solved has to do with the concept that in order to process information and perform their functions, virtual assistants curate information. The usage of this information and the risks for the information to be compromised is vital to assess for both the field of virtual assistants and artificial intelligence more broadly. ==Controversy==

There have been controversies surrounding the opinions that virtual assistants can have. As the technology has evolved, there is potential for the virtual assistants to possess controversial positions on issues which can cause uproar. These views can be political, which can be impactful on society since virtual assistants are used so widely. Crowdsourcing is also controversial; although it allows for innovation from the users, it can perhaps act as a cop-out for companies to take credit where, in reality, the customers have created a new innovation. Wizard of Oz approach One way to research human-robot interaction is called the Wizard of Oz approach. Specifically, this approach aims to have a human leader of a study fill in for a robot while the user completes a task for research purposes. In addition to humans evaluating artificial intelligence and robots, the Wizard of Oz approach is being introduced. When technology becomes close to being human-like, the Wizard of Oz approach says that this technology has the ability to evaluate and augment other artificial intelligence technology. Moreover, the method also suggests that technology, in order to be utilized, does not necessarily have to be human-like. Thus, in order to be utilized, as long as they have useful features, virtual assistants do not have to focus all of their innovation on becoming more human-like. == References ==