Feel like no one ever really listens to you?

Your gadgets do. That may not always be a good thing.

Most recently, an Arkansas death investigation highlighted how the magic of Amazon's Echo device — its ability to act on your voice commands — means it might have overheard conversations critical to a murder investigation.

That case could ultimately lasso Amazon's cloud of remote computer storage into court fights. The results hold implications for the many ways technology's romp toward ubiquity poses a growing threat to privacy.

It also acts as a reminder that buying a so-called smart speaker such as the Echo — or its chief competitor, Google Home — is like plugging Big Brother into your living room.

Those computerized sound systems are just the latest listeners to the party.

Your smartphone already mines mountains of personalized data (note how many apps seek access to your contacts, location, camera and microphone). The resulting cache of information creates a defining dilemma of the Digital Age.