Hey Google, is my wife listening to chats via smart speaker?

More than hackers, people are worried about friends, family and others who can listen to their conversations via smart speakers, reveals new research.

A survey by University of British Columbia (UBC) researchers in Canada found that people feared potential misuse of the device from people they actually live with and know.

"They worried that their housemates could order stuff online, overhear private conversations or access other people's reminders, calendars and phone contacts," explained Konstantin Beznosov, a professor of electrical and computer engineering who specializes in cybersecurity at UBC.

"Of course, they were aware these actions could well be unintentional--such as a child accidentally using the last-number-dialled feature to call up their parent's employer, for example".

The team spoke to 26 Canadian adults who used shared smart speakers at home, including Amazon Echo, Google Home and Apple HomePod.

They found that participants not only worried about keeping their data safe from the manufacturer or other entities; they also feared potential misuse of the device from people they know.

Interestingly, the nature of the concern depended on the participant's "mental model" or technical understanding of how smart speakers work, said study primary author Yue Huang, a PhD student in electrical and computer engineering.

"Participants who were very familiar with shared smart speakers were more worried about how technology shortcomings could affect the security of their devices," said Huang.

An example is a smart speaker that occasionally fails to distinguish the main user's voice from another, which means it could grant people access to information they shouldn't have.

However, users with more basic knowledge of how smart speakers work were more focused on their housemates' potential actions, and this sometimes meant seeing a threat where there was none.

"One participant who worried his family member could redial a number was unaware the feature was not even available on the device," said Huang, noting that the study is the first to explore these mental models about shared smart speakers and link these models to attitudes.

The results suggest that more work is needed to improve consumers' understanding of shared smart speakers and to make the technology more reliable.