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Saint Louis University Is Outfitting Student Living Spaces With Thousands of Echo Dots (techcrunch.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the scaled-to-size dept.

Saint Louis University announced this week a plan to outfit living spaces with 2,300 Echo Dots. The smart speakers will be ready by the time classes start later this month. TechCrunch reports: SLU is quick to note that it's "the first college or university in the country to bring Amazon Alexa-enabled devices, managed by Alexa for Business, into every student residence hall room and student apartment on campus." It's certainly not the first to adopt Amazon's smart speakers, but it's among the largest scale for this sort of deployment. While the product has become a mainstay in plenty of American homes, it does seem like an odd choice dorms and student campus. SLU has worked with Alexa for Business to create 100 custom questions, including, "What time does the library close tonight?" and "Where is the registrar's office?"

The company addressed [the privacy concerns] on a privacy page, writing: "Because of our use of the Amazon Alexa for Business (A4B) platform, your Echo Dot is managed by a central system dedicated to SLU. This system is not tied to individual accounts and does not maintain any personal information for any of our users, so all use currently is anonymous. Additionally, neither Alexa nor the Alexa for Business management system maintains recordings of any questions that are asked."

118 of 174 comments (clear)

  1. Alexa... by jfdavis668 · · Score: 4, Funny

    What is the answer to question #3?

    1. Re:Alexa... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      More like... Alexa, why does my crotch itch?

    2. Re:Alexa... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      More like... Alexa, why does my crotch itch?

      "That is the same question that your friend Clarise asked yesterday, Jeff, and also Jimmy, Muffy, and Willy. Maybe they have the answer."
      "Thanks, Alexa!"
      "Anytime."

    3. Re: Alexa... by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      Alexa: "It ends."

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    4. Re: Alexa... by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      German bag? That's an unusual insult ...

    5. Re:Alexa... by sit1963nz · · Score: 1

      Alexa why are there cameras in the showers

    6. Re:Alexa... by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      Hmm....maybe these will help settling cases where she claims she said "no"...but really didn't.....

      You just gotta think these things will be recording all the time regardless of what they're saying now.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    7. Re:Alexa... by Mal-2 · · Score: 1

      Why does it hurt when I pee?

      --
      How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
    8. Re:Alexa... by KingBenny · · Score: 1

      so these things are gonna be listening to every bit of noise and background noise in every PRIVATE room of every student ? and that's a GOOD thing ? okay, that set me straight on the state of the state

      --
      Free speech was meant to be free for all... how can anyone grow up in a nanny state ?
  2. That's not a negative by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    "Additionally, neither Alexa nor the Alexa for Business management system maintains recordings of any questions that are asked."

    1. Re:That's not a negative by umghhh · · Score: 2

      If they dont now then they will soon.
      First rape case in a dormitory with this system installed will make alexa forced to show if the accusation is correct or not. Unless of course the majority of cases will be dismissed because all parties involved were intoxicated to the point they did not know what was happening to them - who raped who is then a valid question and yet one that cannot be answered. Still for all other case of indecent conduct a consent can be determined.

    2. Re:That's not a negative by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 5, Funny

      I think a good test would be to have a really incriminating-sounding conversation in the dorms and see what red flags go up.

      "Yeah, she kept screaming 'no', but I know she wanted it."
      "Yeah, and then the bombs will go off. You got your ammo yet?"
      "$50 will get you the exam ahead of time. $250 for the answers."
      "Make America Great Again!"

      Reminds me of the days when /. sigs were used to spam Echelon.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    3. Re:That's not a negative by MrMr · · Score: 2

      Weasel words. The input is parsed and transcribed. Who needs a recording?

    4. Re:That's not a negative by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Or the obligatory XKCD

      https://xkcd.com/1807/

    5. Re:That's not a negative by Obfuscant · · Score: 2

      Weasel words. The input is parsed and transcribed. Who needs a recording?

      Lie words. I have a Dot. Using the Alexa app, I can listen to the recording of every time Alexa has woken up and thought she was asked something. I don't know what "Alexa Business" does, but Alexa certainly does make and keep recordings.

      Or is there some new definition of "recording" where "a digitized copy of audio that can be played back later" does not count as a "recording"?

    6. Re:That's not a negative by yuriklastalov · · Score: 1

      Unless of course the majority of cases will be dismissed because all parties involved were intoxicated to the point they did not know what was happening to them - who raped who is then a valid question and yet one that cannot be answered.

      Oh you sweet summer child. This situation has an answer: When in doubt, it's always the man's fault.

    7. Re:That's not a negative by lsatenstein · · Score: 1

      I think a good test would be to have a really incriminating-sounding conversation in the dorms and see what red flags go up.

      "Yeah, she kept screaming 'no', but I know she wanted it."
      "Yeah, and then the bombs will go off. You got your ammo yet?"
      "$50 will get you the exam ahead of time. $250 for the answers."
      "Make America Great Again!"

      Reminds me of the days when /. sigs were used to spam Echelon.

      How does the "Echo gadget" contribute to a better education?

      --
      Leslie Satenstein Montreal Quebec Canada
    8. Re:That's not a negative by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 1

      How does the "Echo gadget" contribute to a better education?

      What does that have to do with a University? They're there to crank as many kids through, pull in as much scratch as possible, and indoctrinate the next generation of young people. Education doesn't enter into the equation.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
  3. Currently by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    All use is currently anonymous. Let's just nudge that temperature a degree higher. You won't notice yet.

    1. Re:Currently by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Amazon has already talked about "personalizing" your Alexa experience.

      Translation: We know it's you, Charles M.

      So at the same time that rolls out, everything anyone says will be recorded and stored in their behavior profile.

      China is already controlling what people are allowed to do based on their rating...

    2. Re:Currently by umghhh · · Score: 2

      anonymous transcription of the activity in room X at timestamp Y can be easily correlated with the data from your mobile phone.

  4. Just because it's "anonymous"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Doesn't alleviate any privacy concerns.

    Students should be able to opt-out, by being allowed to either have the Echo's removed, or unplugged form power.

    "Additionally, neither Alexa nor the Alexa for Business management system maintains recordings of any questions that are asked."
    But that doesn't state that there are NO systems maintaining the recordings.

    1. Re:Just because it's "anonymous"... by postbigbang · · Score: 4, Interesting

      If you thought facial recognition was getting good, think about voice recognition.... that ostensibly isn't used.

      Just that the questions have an IP address (dorm, library, etc.) time of day, context, and therefore can be fingerprinted.

      This will not turn out well.

      --
      ---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
    2. Re:Just because it's "anonymous"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Pretty much if a non-cryptographer says something is anonymous you are seeing the Dunning-Kruger effect in action and shouldn't believe anything they say.

  5. Trust us,,no one is listening to you! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    sorry not good enough. first order of business: chuck that pos out the window.

    1. Re:Trust us,,no one is listening to you! by supremebob · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Yeah, knowing that the platform is managed by SLU instead of Amazon would make me worry even more about the platform being abused.

      I'm sure that Amazon has some safeguards in place about safe storage and destruction of voice recordings, but SLU's IT department? Some student intern will probably start using it to snoop on the ladies dorms to get the latest juicy gossip.

    2. Re:Trust us,,no one is listening to you! by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2

      I predict, six to twelve months from now:

      “Oh, you mean those recordings. When we said things weren’t being recorded, naturally we weren’t referring to those...”

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    3. Re: Trust us,,no one is listening to you! by llZENll · · Score: 1

      It doesnâ(TM)t say anything about it being managed by SLU. Only that it is a dedicated system, which I read to mean amazon is managing it as usual on a private server that is running only SLU queries.

    4. Re:Trust us,,no one is listening to you! by jenningsthecat · · Score: 2

      Yeah, knowing that the platform is managed by SLU instead of Amazon would make me worry even more about the platform being abused.

      Especially given that the platform being "managed by SLU" is probably located not at the university, but rather on an AWS server. That would make TWO 'interested parties' who have everything they need to invade students' privacy with a few clicks of a mouse.

      --
      'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
    5. Re:Trust us,,no one is listening to you! by azcoyote · · Score: 3, Informative

      Yeah, I'm not even sure who has access if it's managed by SLU, because SLU very recently fired all or nearly all of their IT staff and outsourced everything to Dell and Microsoft. To my understanding, what local staff remains has experienced significant turnover, and has very little control over anything.

      --
      Incipiamus, fratres, servire Domino Deo, quia hucusque vix vel parum in nullo profecimus.
    6. Re:Trust us,,no one is listening to you! by d0rp · · Score: 1

      Also, these echos appear to be contained inside SLU-branded cases, like the ones that the kids edition come in. What's to stop someone for swapping out the echo in some one else's room, to one that they have hacked or have control over? Should be trivial to remove the case from the original and plug in the hacked version.

      Seems like it would be worse than if the whole system is monitored, because it would be directly targeting specific students.

  6. Alexa why is my education so expensive? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why?

    1. Re: Alexa why is my education so expensive? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Because your government decided to subsidize college education to the tune of 20k+ per student per year in the form of college loans. Colleges that used to cost 5k per year to attend are now 30k per year because the educators know you still have that original 5k + inflation.

    2. Re:Alexa why is my education so expensive? by jfdavis668 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Because your university keeps adding nice to have features like Echo Dots instead of investing in actually teaching you something.

    3. Re:Alexa why is my education so expensive? by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 2

      Because your university keeps adding nice to have features like Echo Dots instead of investing in actually teaching you something.

      Whereas what you say is undeniably true; one could say that this has been fairly inexpensive advertising. As cheap as dots are commercially (frequently on sale $30 or less)- this probably cost SLU in bulk $20 each or less. If they have 5,000 dorm rooms that's $100k at most (I see they have about 13,000 students- some surely live off campus and the others I'm sure are two to a room- so they probably have less than 5,000 dorm rooms in reality).

      $100k sounds a lot of money, but it's probably a fairly cheap ad campaign for the coverage they've got- and the students get something out of it. Probably better use of advertising money than putting out traditional advertising of the same cost. If they get 5 students to sign up as a result of this advertisement that wouldn't have otherwise, the ad has probably paid for itself.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    4. Re:Alexa why is my education so expensive? by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

      do want to bet double or nothing on your student loan?

    5. Re:Alexa why is my education so expensive? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Because your university keeps adding nice to have features like Echo Dots instead of investing in actually teaching you something.

      THIS. I work at a state university and this kind of shit is constantly happening. They build bullshit play spaces and nice ambience features all the time. When you point out that it is wasted space and raises the costs for the students, the reply is always: "The other universities are all doing this. If we don't do it, no student will want to come here." They keep building new construction for a declining population of high school grads all the while complaining that there isn't enough "classroom space" despite the fact we handled way more students in the past in far fewer buildings. And they "renovate" common areas every few years to "keep it fresh" for prospective students. Then they throw in large numbers of new administrators for bullshit new jobs (Inclusion, Social Media Director, Office of LGBT Affairs) dropping $150,000 salary each plus a budget for the new office and staff. Students are surprised that costs have skyrocketed.

    6. Re:Alexa why is my education so expensive? by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 1

      Students are surprised that costs have skyrocketed.

      But muh college should free-e-e-e-eeee-eeeeeeee

      As someone who benefited greatly from college in the late 1980s, but who, even at the time, saw how ridiculous things were getting, the current situation seems to have gone beyond absurd. It seems that providing a valuable education is the only thing they aren't doing.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    7. Re:Alexa why is my education so expensive? by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 1

      Teaching you something is completely orthogonal to their purpose.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    8. Re:Alexa why is my education so expensive? by wyHunter · · Score: 1

      This also hides the fact that so many "college students" are completely illiterate. If you cannot read what does it mean to consult a website?

    9. Re:Alexa why is my education so expensive? by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 2

      Come to think of it, I've never seen a male enter one either, but we have to show those North Carolina simpletons that we are progressive!

      I lived in North Carolina for several years while growing up. I found North Carolinians to be mostly people of eminently good common sense. They may sometimes be simple, but it's the simplicity of knowing right from wrong, the simplicity of being honest or the simplicity of knowing how to barbecue correctly, or the simple logic of using "y'all" in a language that's unfortunately lost its plural second-person pronoun.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
  7. A gift to big data by Mr.+Dollar+Ton · · Score: 1

    "Your privacy is not compromised" is, of course, bullshit, people have been working on matching a voice print to the person since the voice was first transformed to an electric signal.

  8. Big Brother by DigiShaman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Because an Orwellian society never seemed so technologically sexy.

    Fuck that, rip them all out!

    --
    Life is not for the lazy.
    1. Re:Big Brother by phantomfive · · Score: 3, Informative

      Big Data is Watching.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    2. Re:Big Brother by Falconhell · · Score: 1

      or, if it stresses you, you could cover thing the with a soundproofing box or substance, and go on with life.

    3. Re:Big Brother by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 2

      I can't see them having campus police knocking on people's dormroom doors because they unplugged the damnable thing from power, insisting they plug them back in. I also can't see them nailing the thing down and hardwiring it into power so you can't turn it off.

    4. Re:Big Brother by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 4, Informative
      Just answered my own question:

      The school notes that students can also mute the microphone. Students can’t technically opt-out, but they can unplug the product and shove it in a drawer, turning it in at the end of the year. Just don’t use it as a hockey puck, because that’ll cost you.

    5. Re:Big Brother by DigiShaman · · Score: 1

      Just don’t use it as a hockey puck, because that’ll cost you.

      They can bill me.

      FORE!!! ...I prefer Golf

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    6. Re:Big Brother by Falconhell · · Score: 1

      I never mentioned convenience. How hard is it to close your door again?
      Personally, I will never have any of these stupid devices in my house, its easy enough to type what I need.

  9. So... by Type44Q · · Score: 1

    So, Saint Louis "University" admits to the world that A) they're entirely irrelevant and B) they clearly know it, but C) are unable to think of any solutions to the problem other than unimaginative gimmicks that'll drive the "institution" into further irrelevance.

    This is, of course, a real shocker to the rest of us.

    1. Re:So... by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 1

      So, Saint Louis "University" admits to the world that A) they're entirely irrelevant and B) they clearly know it, but C) are unable to think of any solutions to the problem other than unimaginative gimmicks that'll drive the "institution" into further irrelevance.

      So you're saying they are typical of universities.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
  10. A low tech solution by petes_PoV · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The company addressed [the privacy concerns] on a privacy page

    Personally, I would be more inclined to address the "privacy concerns" with a screwdriver or a baseball bat.

    --
    politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
    1. Re:A low tech solution by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Why not just a few fingers? Pull the USB plug out of the jack. Or hack the fucking thing to prank your roommate and be controlled neither by Scamazon nor the uni.

  11. Privacy Vacuum by upuv · · Score: 3

    Seriously.

    This is all wrong. Young people will not understand what they are giving away here.

  12. Currently anonymous, sure. by DigressivePoser · · Score: 1

    Echo Dot is managed by a central system dedicated to SLU. This system is not tied to individual accounts and does not maintain any personal information for any of our users, so all use currently is anonymous.

    So on the 2nd day of classes it could be no longer anonymous. The Bias Response Teams will be very busy as ease-dropping SJWs make sure no one anywhere gets away with saying the n-word, using the wrong gender pronoun, or speaks positively of Trump.

  13. Entropy of the universe by jfdavis668 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Alexa...How can the net amount of entropy of the universe be massively decreased?

    1. Re:Entropy of the universe by wyHunter · · Score: 1

      And the universal AC said ...

    2. Re:Entropy of the universe by Mal-2 · · Score: 1

      INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER

      god damn yelling filter, fuck you when I can't even quote something accurately.

      --
      How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
  14. Tape over the mic by Revek · · Score: 3, Insightful

    There has to be a way to block the mic. Actively, a white noise generator right next to it. Passively, covering the mic so it can't hear anything.

    1. Re:Tape over the mic by bickerdyke · · Score: 1

      There is a mute button and you could always pull the usb powercord...

      --
      bickerdyke
    2. Re:Tape over the mic by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      Unplugging it would be so much easier.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    3. Re:Tape over the mic by PPH · · Score: 1

      "Dude! Lets get high. Where can I plug in my vaper?"

      "Just unplug the Dot and use that outle...."

      Campus security shows up in 5 minutes.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
    4. Re:Tape over the mic by houghi · · Score: 1

      Mute: I do not think that word means that you think it means.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    5. Re:Tape over the mic by bickerdyke · · Score: 1

      Depends if you are muting a speaker or a microphone.

      The button on a mixing console does exactly that: mutes that channel's mic.

      --
      bickerdyke
    6. Re:Tape over the mic by PrimaryConsult · · Score: 1

      Heck the mute button on a phone does the same (picture of slash thru microphone with word "mute" above it).

    7. Re:Tape over the mic by bickerdyke · · Score: 1

      But I have to admit he HAD a point as being "mute" means not being to speak, and not not being able to hear.

      --
      bickerdyke
    8. Re:Tape over the mic by Mal-2 · · Score: 1

      Vapers use batteries, and most of them charge off USB now.

      --
      How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
    9. Re:Tape over the mic by antdude · · Score: 1

      But is it really muted? :P

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  15. A Smart Speakers Is...? by buravirgil · · Score: 1

    Memory Mic... Mind Mic
    Listening Lamp... Attention Appliance
    E-ear... Hailing Mic
    Ear Hustler... Deaf Dongle
    Sound Snagger... Noise Nabber
    Utter Bank...?

    --
    Would were! Should is! Could be! And live a hundred times three.
  16. *Grabs Title IX Paperwork* by Chas · · Score: 1

    *AHEM!*
    "We're listening..."

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!
  17. Re:Yuk by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'd be pissed if I had already made plans to stay in one of their halls and they then pull this crap.

    Yes, it would be very difficult to unplug it if you personally had a problem with the device.

    --
    "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  18. This is creepy as hell. by sjgman9 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Disconnect the things, or failing that, put it in a soundproof box, or wrap it with duct tape. Lots of duct tape.

    There should be a choice to install these things, an informed choice!

    1. Re:This is creepy as hell. by houghi · · Score: 1

      Burn it with fire. It is the only way to be sure.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    2. Re:This is creepy as hell. by Insanity+Defense · · Score: 1

      Disconnect the things, or failing that, put it in a soundproof box, or wrap it with duct tape. Lots of duct tape.

      There should be a choice to install these things, an informed choice!

      Of course there is a choice. The University made it. Now the room renters have some choices to make such as going elsewhere.

  19. you have an right to privacy in hotels rented room by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 3

    you have an right to privacy in hotels rented rooms are the same.
    Worst case some should sue for the right to not be forced to live on college campus

  20. FERPA by mrwireless · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Form what I can tell there's some debate about whether FERPA laws would allow this.

    FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act):
    https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen...

    This school admin even asks how he can remove Alexa form the network:
    https://community.spiceworks.c...

    1. Re:FERPA by mrwireless · · Score: 1

      Q.
      "A student has an Echo and adds the Canvas Skill to their Alexa account. Anyone (roommates, friends, colleagues) who is in proximity of that Echo can then ask Canvas about that students' grades."

      A.
      Yeah, this could happen.

      From a developer of a Alexa Skill that tells you your grades:
      https://community.canvaslms.co...

    2. Re:FERPA by houghi · · Score: 1

      The fact that this needs to be discussed is an issue of and by itself. It should be obvious that it should not be allowed.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    3. Re:FERPA by azcoyote · · Score: 1

      I'm sure there's FERPA discussion, but FERPA is just a silly catch-all for anything and everything someone doesn't like. In my experience, about 90% of the things discussed in academia in light of FERPA actually have nothing to do with FERPA. Most people who bring it up have never read the document, and have no clue what is talks about. FERPA in no way prohibits listening devices in students' rooms. It is only a regulation about the release (not even the securing, but really the release) of educational records to interested parties. Sure somebody could twist FERPA and get some admins to believe that it forbids Alexas in rooms, but in actual text and intention it really has nothing to do with it.

      --
      Incipiamus, fratres, servire Domino Deo, quia hucusque vix vel parum in nullo profecimus.
    4. Re:FERPA by PrimaryConsult · · Score: 1

      FERPA is a wonderful way to ignore parents calling with questions about their students.

      Not sure if true but I was instructed to not even give away if their son/daughter attended the school; the reason given was there are parents out there who for whatever reason want to prevent their offspring from going to college, so the student deserves anonymity even from them.

    5. Re:FERPA by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      "A student has an Echo and adds the Canvas Skill to their Alexa account.

      A choice made by the student. A poor choice, but still his choice. It is essentially no different than a student posting his grade reports on the building bulletin board.

      They aren't student accounts for the SLU Dots. Students can run their own Dot and make stupid choices, but SLU hasn't made that choice for them.

  21. Alexa why can't I rent my own apartment for less? by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    Alexa why can't I rent my own apartment for less? WITH OUT ROOM MATES + MY OWN BATHROOM?

  22. Damn, I'm guessing the former Stasi/KGB by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    are kicking themselves.

    Just give the microphones a brandname and make it a lifestyle product, and people will PAY you to install them in their homes/workspaces.

    Who knew people were this stupid? Fucking idiots.

  23. "currently" by SlaveToTheGrind · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What a strange word to choose to include in a sentence trying to reassure people about privacy.

  24. if student loans had bankruptcy then the banks by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    if student loans had bankruptcy then the banks then will the schools you need to cut costs and not jack up rates / fees for this!

    1. Re:if student loans had bankruptcy then the banks by PPH · · Score: 2

      But do they have money-back guarantees for grammar?

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
    2. Re:if student loans had bankruptcy then the banks by 1ucius · · Score: 1

      I'd argue we have the rough equivalent of bankruptcy. Income based repayment and the whole 20 year forgiveness. As a bonus, they don't count for the whole once-every-seven years thing.

  25. Alexa for Business by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Alexa for Business. I've not heard of that before. Sounds interesting...

    Pricing: $7 per device per month. Huh? Sounds very pricey for management of a self-serving gadget.

    $7 X 2,300 devices = $16,100 per month! FUCK THAT SHIT!

  26. Re:Alexa why can't I rent my own apartment for les by mysidia · · Score: 2

    Alexa: State law and regulations passed by the board of trustees require that all Freshman or other students with less than 30 completed course hours attending public university live on campus, unless you are enrolled only part-time, married, age 21 years or older, have dependent children, live with a parent or guardian within a 25-mile radius of campus, or can show proof of a medical need preventing you from living in provided dorms.

  27. Jesus Christ by argStyopa · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I thought I was glad that there were no camera-phones during my stupid college years; this is so colossally bad ... I can only hope that there remains a faint flicker of resistance in today's youth, such that this spawns an entire generation of people adept and practiced at breaking ubiquitous surveillance.

    I fear not, honestly.

    --
    -Styopa
    1. Re:Jesus Christ by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      breaking is the right word.

      just go around with a bat and a friend, practice those pitching and hitting skills. Any self righteous goody-goody who wants to stop you should have sense enough not to mouth off to a crazy motherfucker swinging a bat, amIright?

  28. I can see it now by PPH · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hundreds of Echo Dots in a broom closet with am MP3 player looping Nickelback.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
    1. Re:I can see it now by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Rick Astley. Rickroll whoever is listening. Hasselhof also works. Or Britney Spears...

    2. Re:I can see it now by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      How about Trump's "I have no organ like Elton John" speech on endless loop, sped up to 2x its original speed?

  29. currently anonymous by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    "currently anonymous"

    currently.

  30. Re:Yuk by johnsie · · Score: 1

    Shush, generation z need some first world problems to whine about.

  31. Dear SLU... by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "1984" was a warning, not a proposal. Putting Orwell's telescreens (minus the screen) in everyone's room makes you look creepy. Should I report to Minitrue for debriefing?

    --
    You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
  32. Fixed Headline by Zorro · · Score: 3, Informative

    Saint Louis University Is Outfitting Student Living Spaces With Thousands of Surveilance Bugs.

  33. Re:If they wont remove them on request pee on them by johnsie · · Score: 1

    All fun and games until you electrify your junk

  34. College students don't need privacy. by IGnatius+T+Foobar · · Score: 1

    Although it should be obvious that these devices can and will be used for eavesdropping, it's not necessary. College students post their entire private lives onto social media anyway.

    --
    Tired of FB/Google censorship? Visit UNCENSORED!
  35. Re: Yuk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I'm sure I could find a way to disable it. But I'd be paying a lot of money to attend and learn. If they're spending money on pointless crap like this, what else are they doing? I'd rather have lower fees.

  36. Brave New World, not Big Brother by Solandri · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Huxley, not Orwell. In Orwell's 1984, the masses are subjugated by an elite. In Huxley's Brave New World, the masses are seduced by all sorts of entertainment and conveniences available in a modern society, so they can be controlled by the elite. Any form of dissent is viewed as socially abnormal, so it was society you had to fear, not retribution by the elite. Actually, I'm not sure if an all-controlling elite even existed (it could be inferred since the social structure would make it possible). It may have just been all of society being self-guided by hedonism and self-appointed morals.

  37. Student convicted... by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

    Student convicted and expelled and blacklisted for being an ebul hax0r after unplugging one of them in 3... 2.... 1....

  38. The fuck? by SumDog · · Score: 1

    I already told me roommate I'd smash one if it was in the house. Fuck that nose. Disconnect it and throw it out your dorm room window. Do not want.

    1. Re:The fuck? by iggymanz · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      I'm 54 years old and never heard of nasal intercourse.

      So, is your roommates nose wide? deep? nice and tight? Because I'm guessing you're not...puny...but probably average sized at least.

    2. Re:The fuck? by Mal-2 · · Score: 1

      While the meaning of the word has changed to be similar to "docking", the word for this practice used to be "snoodling", and that has been around for decades now. The fact that you haven't previously heard of this indicates you didn't follow alt.tasteless back in the day.

      --
      How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
    3. Re:The fuck? by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      er, no, snoodling is placing penis head inside foreskin of another.

      true I didn't follow alt.tasteless but I did have to work near marketing department, they're the scum of the earth. degenerates would be nauseated at their banter.

  39. Awesome! by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

    Can I drive past the dorms with a megaphone blaring, "Alexa: order 2 dozen cases of extra-small Trojans!" over and over again?

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  40. Re:More like some "clever" word juggeling. by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

    You're assuming that the transcription is 100% all go the time and that the person will always use the same service to retry the query instead of going to a web browser.

  41. Tuition costs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    As a graduate from SLU, I would rather have had our tuition rates decreased than extra gimmicks provided. Tuition is currently $43k per year, plus another $5-7k per year for room and board.

  42. Alexa, How many rounds does an AR-15 hold? by sycodon · · Score: 1

    I bet they find a way to deanonymize that pretty damned quick

    --
    When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    1. Re:Alexa, How many rounds does an AR-15 hold? by Mal-2 · · Score: 1

      It holds whatever the capacity of its magazine may be, plus one in the chamber. It's not a question with a single answer.

      --
      How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
    2. Re:Alexa, How many rounds does an AR-15 hold? by sycodon · · Score: 1

      Facepalm!

      --
      When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
  43. Re:Yuk by MrLogic17 · · Score: 1

    Unplugging it is easy.

    I'd be more concerned about "lost" devices, and an unrelated flood of eBay listings...

  44. Laywers' opinions? by PJ6 · · Score: 1

    The state's wiretapping law makes no distinction to whether or not the people being listened to are "anonymous".

    It also doesn't matter if conversations aren't "recorded" - all the law cares about is interception (and they are recorded - saved as text).

    Lastly, it doesn't matter if the students all agree to the presence of these devices, that doesn't cover visitors.

    So why isn't this illegal?

  45. Re:Yuk by yuriklastalov · · Score: 1

    Yeah, if they don't want the University administration listening in on them 24/7, fuck them. God damn stupid entitled kids and their bullshit problems. I mean, it's not like their boomer grandparents are crashing western civilization against the rocks, leaving them with soulless corporate consumerism or anything. Bunch of god damn whiners.

  46. Rookie numbers by martin_dk · · Score: 1

    SLU has worked with Alexa for Business to create 100 custom questions

    Those are rookie numbers. Seriously, 100?

  47. Re:Yuk by DeVilla · · Score: 1

    That's why they will be attached to a surface with no exposed wires, like the smoke detectors.