Amazon Echo Records Couple’s Conversation, Sends It To Contacts
Well, that’s creepy.
A family in Portland, Oregon got a rude awakening when their friends started to text them and let them know that they’d been “hacked” and their conversation just leaked to their contacts list.
According to Billboard, the family told KIRO-TV that their friend had received an audio message about them talking about hardwood floors. Amazon confirmed that the conversation had been recorded and inadvertently sent to someone else. It was also noted that it was a freak occurrence. Amazon’s statement says, according to Billboard, “As unlikely as this string of events is, we are evaluating options to make this case even less likely.”
The family has since unplugged their devices, which was controlling their lights, heat, and security system. I guess it’s good they weren’t talking about their friend/relative, right?
According to Amazon in its help directory, your Amazon Alexa is actually recording your conversations and prompts with the device and filing them in your account. There is, however, a way to delete said conversations, but Amazon notes that it may change the way Alexa has learned your usage patterns.
To review these terms, check out Amazon’s help section.
