PrivacyMic, the Smart Speaker That Doesn't Eavesdrop UM researchers developed a system that enables devices to understand what's happening in your home respond without listening to you. A prototype PrivacyMic. (ð·: University of Michigan / YouTube) A team of University of Michigan researchers has developed a prototype system dedicated to privacy: a smart speaker that doesn't pick up or record audible sound but still informs a smart home or listens for the signal that would turn on a smart speaker. With an estimated 320 million microphones worldwide always listening to pick out our commands, this is an important step in revamping smart tech to protect user privacy; with the PrivacyMic, smart systems can understand what is happening in your home respond without listening to your conversations.