More than 1.8 million households now own such an all-rounder. A year earlier, that number was still at 1.5 million. This is apparent from the Smart Home Monitor of research agency Multiscope. A smart speaker costs an average of 325 euros, according to Multiscope. Calculated on, the Dutch have spent about 600 million euros on the boxes. The research firm predicts that another 240,000 households will buy a smart speaker this year.
Aiko Pras, professor of internet security at the University of Twente, calls this a worrying development. “The problem is that the devices are hardly updated, so over time vulnerabilities creep in. Then the device can be hacked, although the chance is not very great.’ The Dutch do not have to fear for Russian DDO attacks targeting the loudspeakers, Pras says.
According to Pras, companies such as Google and Amazon can listen in through the speakers. “Google has been letting its employees listen in on customers for a while to improve its speech recognition feature.” The US security agency, National Security Agency, also has access to audio recordings, Pras says. ‘On American devices, not Chinese ones. But then the Chinese security service can listen in again.’
terrorists
If security services are not listening in yet, they will, predicts the professor. ‘Terrorists can have such a speaker at home. You’d be crazy not to take advantage of that.’ He himself deliberately opted for a smart speaker without a microphone – in fact a regular speaker – so that no one can listen in.
The American audio company Sonos is the market leader in the Netherlands. 6 percent of Dutch people own a Sonos One. That equates to more than 450,000 households. After Sonos, the Google Home (4 percent) and the Google Home Mini (3 percent) follow.
Globally, the American e-commerce company Amazon has the largest market share. The Amazon Echo listens to the name Alexa, a firm but also reassuring female voice. For a small fee, the system can also be played by a celebrity, including Gordon Ramsay, Melissa McCarthy and Samuel L. Jackson.