This article was originally published by Mass Private I at Activist Post. 

It is hard to imagine a more intrusive home surveillance device than a faucet or toilet that listens to everyone’s conversations, but that is just what Delta Faucet and Kohler have done.

Delta Faucet’s “Voice IQ” takes advantage of where lots of people like to congregate and turns it into an Alexa eavesdropping center.

Designed with the understanding that 20 percent of all WiFi-enabled homes are equipped with a connected home device, VoiceIQ Technology pairs with existing devices to dispense the exact amount of water needed, all with a simple voice command.

Delta lets Alexa decide how much water everyone gets.

VoiceIQ Technology allows users to easily warm water and turn it on and off with voice activation, lending a hand in an active kitchen space. Consumers can command the faucet to dispense a metered amount of water in various quantities for precise measurement. Additionally, consumers can customize commands to make everyday tasks easier, like filling a coffee pot, a child’s sippy cup, or a dog bowl. (To learn more about Voice IQ click here.)

What they are really saying is Amazon will now monitor your home and individual water usage.

How is that for Orwellian?

Install Alexa in your kitchen at you own peril

I cannot tell you how often TV shows like Buying Hawaii or Caribbean Life show prospective homeowners discussing how they want to entertain friends and family in their new kitchen.

So despite what Delta’s promotional video says, the kitchen is not a great place for some hands-free help.

I mean who in their right mind thinks that Alexa’s “hands-free help” does not include moderators listening to your conversations while entertaining?

Delta is also offering Alexa’s “hands-free help” to homeowners with older kitchens.

VoiceIQ Technology will be available summer 2019 as a pre-assembled feature on select Delta Trinsic® pull-down models with Touch2O Technology. For an added level of convenience, a retrofittable module for VoiceIQ Technology will be available to upgrade existing kitchen faucets with Delta Touch2O Technology manufactured after January 1, 2018.

No thanks, I’m good. I do not want to turn my faucet into an Amazon eavesdropping device.

I mean, what’s next? A voice-activated toilet?

Kohler creates a voice-activated toilet

Leave it to Kohler to destroy what most people consider their most private part of life: the bathroom.

Earlier this year, Kohler unveiled their voice-activated toilet, called the “Numi 2.0” intelligent toilet.

Numi 2.0 will come equipped with embedded Amazon Alexa for easy voice control to active toilet features as well as Alexa commands such as checking weather, traffic, accessing news, etc.

Is this really what America wants: a toilet that listens to you while you sit on the throne?

According to the Numi Intelligent video, Alexa monitors how often you go the bathroom and how much water you use.

Kohler is so sure that homeowners will want Alexa to listen to their most intimate moments that they created an app for the whole family.

Use the Kohler Konnect app to program personalized presets for different users, and you can use voice to access the preset/profile. There is probably a difference between you, your spouse, and your children when it comes to  your interaction with Numi 2.0; this lets you easily personalize your experience.

Alexa knows the difference between you and your children’s voices. How is that for creepy?

In what messed up world do we live in? Where it is OK to let a private company monitor when you go to the bathroom?

Delta Faucet and Kohler have joined the ranks of ignominious companies like Amazon and Google who have turned our private lives into a for-profit family surveillance model.