Cyber security expert warns that unwitting parents could be ordering gifts from Alexa

A leading cyber security expert has warned parents that private conversations among parents could accidentally order a present via an eavesdropping digital assistant. He suggested that merely discussing Christmas ideas in front of Alexa or Google Assistant, for example, could cause an unintentional order. The ready-to-please devices have been known to take personal conversations as commands and act upon them without the owners' knowledge. Matt Horan, of C3IA solutions, said that the systems are taking personal conversations as commands and acting upon them without the owners' knowledge. Users with Amazon and Google Home accounts have their payment details already saved and could find the smart devices have automatically ordered a Christmas present without them realising.