As we recently saw with this feature being forced into Chromium, implementations change, and auto-updates happen.
Even if the current implementation acts as you describe, do you trust that Amazon won't change4 that behaviour in the future? How about when Amazon is handed a national security letter? Do you trust Amazon to pull a LavaBit to avoid having to change the firmware? Do you trust that Amazon actually got the security right and nobody will ever crack the device and change its behavior?
Also, claiming that other devices are also surveillance tools does not excuse this device.
If you regard your privacy that highly that the very small change that the NSA will bug your Amazon Echo, then sure, don't buy it.
But the NSA/FBI/Virgina Police can:
get my emails from google
get my emails from my work
get my emails off my phone
read my texts, pix, and other cell phone information
listen to my phone calls
hack my shittily exposed to teh internet home server
get my facebook information
tap my ISP
search my house when I'm not there
bug my house
If they can force Amazon to record me against my will, they can force apple to. Or leveno to record on my laptop. Or the Xbox Kinect on my TV. If I were plotting to join ISIS, yea probably a bad move. Otherwise it's a very minor threat.
It still communicates through my network. My router/firewall/etc sitting in between my network and the Verizon ONT can do packet captures on all traffic going through it.
I can tell exactly when when the Echo is and isn't listening
It is an indisputable fact that I paid for my Echo, and that my information as a result of that purchase is used by Amazon, where they may profit from me when I purchase more products. I do not believe that Amazon grossly misuses my data; what reason do I have not to trust them? My value to them is derived from my purchasing decisions.
It is an indisputable fact that I didn't pay for Chrome, and Google doesn't care at all about what I buy because they're not selling me anything. My value to them is derived from the data I provide, in many cases, unwillingly.
So, respectfully, I'm not "Wrong", and it's presumptuous to say so.
Not really, you just have to trust that they won't make Amazon do the things you don't want Amazon to do. You don't need to have "full trust" in anybody, really. You just have to have enough trust regarding what you're concerned about. Trusting that a government will spend its education money on education, for example, has no bearing on whether or not they'd force Amazon to record you 24/7.
Plus non-internet connected cellphones. We know full well that the baseband within cellphones can be updated to turn a cellphone into a passive listening device.
Now you can say that "hey they could be secreting recording you anyway."
Sure, but so could any internet connected device with a microphone or speakers.