Tracking Bible Prophecy Headlines - 5/7/2019

Genetic editing could theoretically help farmers grow the most delicious food. Using CRISPR technology, which allows scientists to cut and paste desired or unwanted traits, researchers could design ideal crops—great-tasting, nutritious, aesthetically beautiful, and better than anything previously known.
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(As Cold Spring Harbor genetics professor Zachary)Lippmann argues that researchers trying to “perfect” crops must be wary, lest they assume nature will play by rules humans can discern. He warns, “If you have a particular gene that you want to use to improve a trait, for example, by gene editing, it may very well be that the outcome is not going to be what you expected.”

Inspired by what I found in my Alexa voice archive, I wondered: What other activities in my smart home are tech companies recording?
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When I'm up for a midnight snack, Google knows. My Nest thermostat, made by Google, reports back to its servers' data in 15-minute increments about not only the climate in my house, but also whether there's anyone moving around ...

Then there are lights, which can reveal what time you go to bed and do almost anything else. My Philips Hue-connected lights track every time they're switched on and off - data the company keeps forever if you connect to its cloud service (which is required to operate them with Alexa or Assistant).

Every kind of appliance now is becoming a data-collection device. My Chamberlain MyQ garage opener lets the company keep - again, indefinitely - a record of every time my door opens or closes. My Sonos speakers, by default, track what albums, playlists or stations I've listened to, and when I press play, pause, skip or pump up the volume. At least they only hold on to my sonic history for six months.

And now the craziest part: After quizzing these companies about data practices, I learned most are sharing what's happening in my home with Amazon, too. Our data is the price of entry for devices that want to integrate with Alexa. Amazon's not only eavesdropping - it's tracking everything happening in your home.