Around a fifth of participants did not know their devices are always on and listening, and privacy concern rose by roughly half once they learned it. About 40% of voice-assistant users are concerned about who is listening, and half of owners surveyed did not know recordings were stored by the manufacturer. Users distrust mute buttons and indicator lights.
How it was done
Survey and interview research with voice-assistant owners about what they believed their devices were doing and how they felt on being told what those devices actually do.
What it means
The distrust of mute buttons is the useful detail for anyone designing this. A visual assurance that the microphone is off does not buy the trust it appears to buy, because people have learned not to believe it.
The only claim that survives that scepticism is an architectural one: a microphone that is physically only open while a button is held cannot be listening the rest of the time, and does not depend on anyone believing an indicator.
This connects to whether voice capture works at all. Perceived privacy appears to moderate how much people are willing to say aloud, which makes the privacy posture a functional requirement rather than a marketing position.
