"Google Allo" The turning point in the decline of human interaction?

Google’s new Allo app has been launched amidst a lot of excitement and obviously some privacy concerns. On one hand, we have an app that comes with a built-in Google Assistant powered by Google’s AI, capable of helping out with contextual replies (which get better with time) and on the other hand, we have Google stating that conversations won’t be encrypted by default and will be stored indefinitely on Google servers so as to function as intellectual fodder for its AI.

As a peace offering, Google said users could opt to use the incognito mode which offers end-to-end encryption, however, you won’t be able to have Google Assistant partake in those conversations. It is clear that Google Allo is all about “convenience,” whether it is in the form of contextual responses or whether it is for looking up information that you’d like to share with the person at the other end of your non-encrypted, stored-on-Google-server-forever messages. When all is said and done, Allo poses a very clear and present danger.

It’s no secret that Google goes through all data generated by users on its services, be it email, Hangouts or even search. This is how it’s able to serve up contextual ads and other nonsense. The very last bastion of privacy has been texting and voice calls and with Allo, we are set to lose out on one of those. If Allo achieves its goal of replacing your default texting app, and even Whatsapp, imagine the kind of intimate details of your life that Google will have access to. A wife telling her husband what brand of kitchen cleaning aids to get on his way back from work, a young excited college teen discussing with his best friend where to take his girlfriend on a date.