6 ways to keep Alexa from eavesdropping on you

An Amazon Dot, poised to take a command. SAN FRANCISCO-- After an Oregon family described a scenario that encapsulated the worst fears about owning a smart speaker -- their Amazon Echo picked up a private conversation and then shared it with the outside world -- you might ask: How can I prevent this from happening? Aside from unplugging your smart speaker for good, there are some safeguards you can use if you're one of the 40 million people who have these voice-activated speakers from Amazon or competitors Google Home and Apple HomePod. In the Portland, Ore. family's case, one of the several Alexa devices they had in their home misinterpreted conversations happening in the house as a command to first record a conversation and then send it as a message to a contact on the father's contact list. According to Amazon, Alexa twice asked for confirmation of the requests.