How is this even possible? As Gizmodo's Kashmir Hill reports, it is "a unique aspect of being a consumer of the Internet of Things."
The things — in this case, the Echo and Dot — stay connected to the company they were purchased from — in this case, Amazon. Which means that Amazon can push out a software update and change the Echo and Dot into, well, something else.
"Overnight," Hill writes, "the Echo went from being a voice-activated Google search to a device that could be networked to a bunch of other devices."
This software update occured in May, when Amazon added features called "Drop in” and “Alexa calling and messaging,” both of which let users connect to other people’s Echo units.
While upon release there was no way to block people from calling your Echo, Amazon made updates this month to allow at least a little more privacy.
