SAN FRANCISCO -- Google's voice-activated assistant is branching out to Nest's deluxe security camera in an expansion that may amplify the privacy concerns surrounding internet-connected microphones.
The virtual assistant is being offered to owners of the Nest Cam IQ in a free update rolling out Wednesday. The move comes just two weeks after Nest moved back under Google's direct control after spending nearly 2 1/2 years as a separate company owned by the same parent, Alphabet Inc.
The $300 Nest Cam will give Google a potentially valuable earhole as it strives to build digital command centres in people's homes.
That ambition has already spurred warnings from privacy watchdogs about the potential for internet-connected devices being used as surveillance tools.
Nest says it doesn't share its customers' personal information without permission.
