The Internet of Things is making its way into our workplaces, our cars, our homes. Everything is getting "smarter" around us. And many of us are turning to digital personal assistants to help with mundane tasks, such as finding recipes and playing music. But as we engage intimately with these new members of our lives, we should not forget that they are listening devices, says our guest Jessica Vitak, an Assistant Professor in the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland.