(Photo via MSCHF) Smart speakers are a double-edged sword of assistance and intrusion: providing news and weather reports, eavesdropping on conversations, adding items to your shopping list, and sending recordings to random people.
But while Amazon last year introduced privacy-focused voice commands for Alexa-enabled devices, some folks want even more security.
Enter Alexagate, an ultrasonic accessory that sits on top of most Amazon speakers to prevent the unit from hearing you.
Simply clap or tap the yellow hat three times to initiate a pulsed ultrasound that jams the Echo's microphone.
And because the frequency is beyond the range of human hearing, you won't even know it's happening.
"The Amazon Echo records everything it hears in your home, 24/7, and archives it to Amazon's cloud storage," according to MSCHF's "manifesto," published on the Alexagate product page.
"Perhaps you don't subscribe to the notion that Facebook always listens through your phone's mic, but ask yourself at least this in all honesty: Do you think the Echo 'mute' button really does anything?"
Amazon certainly does.
The company ensures its devices are designed to start listening "only after detecting" the chosen wake word, and each Echo comes with a "microphone off" button that disconnects the mic and stops recording at any time.
Not everyone is convinced, though.
The limited-edition Alexagate—presumably named after its gatekeeping capabilities, or as a reference to the Watergate bugging scandal—is on sale now for $99 (with free shipping).
Its white noise hat and mounting ring are compatible with first-, second-, and third-gen Echo Dot; second-gen Echo Plus; and first- and third-gen Echo devices.
Or, as MSCHF put it: "Since who knows what generation is what, all the little Echo Dots, and all the newer tall ones with rounded edges."
Expressly not a physical muffler, the add-on doesn't interfere with the speaker itself; owners can continue to interact with their Amazon device, as long as Alexagate is turned off.
And while it is possible to shout through the ultrasound system, it's not recommended.
"We could only do it from about six inches away, yelling until our throats were hoarse," MSCHF's FAQ page said.
"Believe us when we say that the blocking is good."
Editor's note: This article was updated on July 30.
(Photo via MSCHF) Smart speakers are a double-edged sword of assistance and intrusion: providing news and weather reports, eavesdropping on conversations, adding items to your shopping list, and sending recordings to random people.
But while Amazon last year introduced privacy-focused voice commands for Alexa-enabled devices, some folks want even more security.
Enter Alexagate, an ultrasonic accessory that sits on top of most Amazon speakers to prevent the unit from hearing you.
Simply clap or tap the yellow hat three times to initiate a pulsed ultrasound that jams the Echo's microphone.
And because the frequency is beyond the range of human hearing, you won't even know it's happening.
"The Amazon Echo records everything it hears in your home, 24/7, and archives it to Amazon's cloud storage," according to MSCHF's "manifesto," published on the Alexagate product page.
"Perhaps you don't subscribe to the notion that Facebook always listens through your phone's mic, but ask yourself at least this in all honesty: Do you think the Echo 'mute' button really does anything?"
Amazon certainly does.
The company ensures its devices are designed to start listening "only after detecting" the chosen wake word, and each Echo comes with a "microphone off" button that disconnects the mic and stops recording at any time.
Not everyone is convinced, though.
The limited-edition Alexagate—presumably named after its gatekeeping capabilities, or as a reference to the Watergate bugging scandal—is on sale now for $99 (with free shipping).
Its white noise hat and mounting ring are compatible with first-, second-, and third-gen Echo Dot; second-gen Echo Plus; and first- and third-gen Echo devices.
Or, as MSCHF put it: "Since who knows what generation is what, all the little Echo Dots, and all the newer tall ones with rounded edges."
Expressly not a physical muffler, the add-on doesn't interfere with the speaker itself; owners can continue to interact with their Amazon device, as long as Alexagate is turned off.
And while it is possible to shout through the ultrasound system, it's not recommended.
"We could only do it from about six inches away, yelling until our throats were hoarse," MSCHF's FAQ page said.
"Believe us when we say that the blocking is good."
Editor's note: This article was updated on July 30.
