NOT VERY: ‘Hey Alexa, how secure are voice-activated assistants like you?’

Imagine what someone in the room could do with your digital assistant when you step away to go the bathroom. That mischief ranges from a prank — setting your system to play loud music in the middle of the night — to a serious privacy violation — asking about your doctors’ appointments.

If the purchasing option is turned on, they could go shopping. Echo has this enabled by default. You can set a four-digit PIN (highly recommended) or disable the feature.

Earlier this year, it was reported that a six-year old girl in Dallas made a $170 purchase when she asked Alexa for a dollhouse and cookies. To her parent’s great surprise, an expensive doll house and four pounds of sugar cookies showed up on their doorstep.

I’ve always been a gadget freak and an early adopter, but it’s going to be a long while before I put one of these in my home — if ever.