Difference between revisions of "Amazon Alexa (Amazon Echo)"

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By pressing the button on the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, users can turn off the microphone on their device and thus Alexa's listening. <ref name=AmazonAlexaFAQ />  
 
By pressing the button on the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, users can turn off the microphone on their device and thus Alexa's listening. <ref name=AmazonAlexaFAQ />  
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'''Benton County, Arkansas Homicide Investigation'''
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One of the main concerns of Amazon Alexa is who has access to voice recordings and audio files, especially when it comes to a criminal investigation. Benton County investigators filed a warrant for any recordings from an Alexa-operated Amazon Echo device that was in the home of a homicide suspect in 2015.<ref name=Hautala2017>Hautala, Laura (23 February 2017) [https://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-echo-alexa-privacy-first-amendment-constitution-protects-court-filing/ "Amazon Argues Constitution Protects Your Chats With Alexa"] '''CNET''', Retrieved 26 February 2017</ref> Amazon has so far declined to provide investigators with the recordings due to privacy concerns and First Amendment protections. <ref name=Hautala2017 /> In a February 2017 court filing, it was stated that "Given the important First Amendment and privacy implications at stake, the warrant should be quashed unless the Court finds that the State has met its heightened burden for compelled production of such materials." <ref name=courtfiling> [https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3473747/Amazon-Memorandum-Seeking-to-Quash-Echo-Search.pdf "Amazon Memorandum Seeking to Quash Echo Search"] Retrieved 27 February 2017</ref>
  
 
===Security===
 
===Security===

Revision as of 00:00, 28 February 2017

Claimed by Allison Arnold

Amazon's Alexa Voice System, commonly known as Alexa, works with compatible devices, such as the Amazon Echo. On command, Alexa responds to voice commands and can perform a number of tasks, from playing music or relaying the news, to controlling smart home devices. Alexa is considered to be a "virtual assistant," similar to Siri, Google Now, or Cortana[1]


Functions

Alexa is signaled when the wake word is spoken. The default for this is 'Alexa,' however users can program their own wake word to be used with the device. After being signaled by the wake word, Alexa responds via the speakers in an Alexa-compatible device, such as the Amazon Echo. The audio that is spoken after the wake word, including less than a second of audio that came before the wake word, is sent to the Cloud. The ring on top of the Amazon Echo will turn light blue to let the user know that the audio is being streamed to the Cloud. [2]

Alexa Skills

Amazon Alexa also supports Alexa skills, which are voice-driven capabilities that are designed to enhance the functionality of Alexa and Amazon devices. [3]


Ethical Implications

Many concerns have been raised about Alexa and other voice response systems, many with ethical implications regarding privacy and security.

Privacy

Amazon Alexa responds when the wake word is spoken, therefore Alexa is always listening. The information that follows the wake word is sent to Amazon's cloud servers in order to determine the correct response, but also to learn more about the user[4] While Alexa is always listening, it's only sending the content that is said after it's signaled. This voice information is used to better personalize the experience, however there's no certainty how long this data is stored in Amazon's servers. [5]

At the core of the many questions that has risen about Amazon Alexa are how much Alexa is listening to its users and whether that affects privacy or could be potentially used by law enforcement. [6] A spokesperson from Amazon stated that there must be a proper legal warrant in order for Amazon to give out customer information. [6] Users can also delete voice recordings that were sent to Alexa by going to the History tab in the Settings section of their Alexa App, however Amazon warns that by deleting voice recordings and interactions made with Alexa, this may decrease the user experience. [2]

By pressing the button on the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, users can turn off the microphone on their device and thus Alexa's listening. [2]

Benton County, Arkansas Homicide Investigation One of the main concerns of Amazon Alexa is who has access to voice recordings and audio files, especially when it comes to a criminal investigation. Benton County investigators filed a warrant for any recordings from an Alexa-operated Amazon Echo device that was in the home of a homicide suspect in 2015.[7] Amazon has so far declined to provide investigators with the recordings due to privacy concerns and First Amendment protections. [7] In a February 2017 court filing, it was stated that "Given the important First Amendment and privacy implications at stake, the warrant should be quashed unless the Court finds that the State has met its heightened burden for compelled production of such materials." [8]

Security

Alexa has the ability to communicate with third-party services in order to carry out commands, which may cause concern for some. [4] There are also concerns that people can hack into the system and hear you at home, but the data that is sent from the device to Amazon's servers is encrypted, which helps to secure your information form potential hackers. [9]

References

  1. ↑ Crist, Ry (8 April 2016) "Amazon Alexa: Device Compatibility, How-Tos and Much More" CNET, Retrieved on 19 February 2017
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Amazon "Alexa and Alexa Device FAQs" Amazon, Retrieved 26 February 2017
  3. ↑ Amazon "Enable Alexa Skills" Amazon, Retrieved 26 February 2017
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Clauser, Grant (11 February 2017) "What is Alexa? What is the Amazon Echo, And Should You Get One?" "The Wirecutter", Retrieved 19 February 2017
  5. ↑ Massoglia, Anna (3 January 2017) "Amazon Echo is Both Useful and Risky for Lawyers" Lawyerist.com, Retrieved 19 February 2017
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bradley, Tony (5 January 2017) "How Amazon Echo Users Can Control Privacy" Forbes, Retrieved 26 February 2017
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Hautala, Laura (23 February 2017) "Amazon Argues Constitution Protects Your Chats With Alexa" CNET, Retrieved 26 February 2017
  8. ↑ "Amazon Memorandum Seeking to Quash Echo Search" Retrieved 27 February 2017
  9. ↑ Moynihan, Tim (5 December 2016) "Alexa and Google Home Record What You Say. But What Happens to That Data?" Wired, Retrieved 19 February 2017
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