CST 373 Week 1

Scrapbook 1 - Are They Listening?

Can Alexa help solve a murder? Police think so — but Amazon won’t give up her data. by Amy B. Wang of The Washington Post (PDF archive)

Summary

A suspected homicide took place in a home equipped with smart devices. Among these devices was an Amazon Echo device. Authorities seized the device from the home and served Amazon with a warrant to obtain any recordings from the device, citing that they expect Amazon to host recording from the device that may provide assistance in the case. Amazon claims that they only keep recordings that consist of the command that the device hears. These recordings begin with the specified trigger word, "Alexa". They also claim that the user can delete the recordings through their smartphone application and while they're always listening, they don't record any additional information.

Reason Chosen

This situation highlights something close to me, as I have Amazon Echo products in my home. I keep one in my living room and another in the bedroom. They're used adjust the lights (on/off/dim) in each of the rooms. This article came out shortly after I had purchased the first product and it was a little worrisome. I was not worried because I was going to plan a murder but because of the other implications that it could have. Some of us don't see our daily activities as something to guard as private and other do. However, I live with my boyfriend and owning one wasn't just a decision to make for myself, but for him too. It's worth spending an additional moment to consider who else could be impacted by these purchases and if they would be okay with it.

Ethical Implications and Personal and Social Values at Stake

While this article was primarily focused on the police attempting to use a warrant to gain recordings from the Amazon Echo device, I'd like to place more attention on Amazon themselves and if what they claim is true regarding how they store the recordings.

Amazon claims that they only store the commands that are initiated with the trigger word, "Alexa" and that the owner of the product can delete recordings from their Amazon Echo application. There are a few moving pieces in this claim. First, the software for the product is closed-source and we don't know how Amazon is actually handling the data (sound processed in the cloud). We are completely relying on their claims. Because we can't verify how our data is being handled, we can't guarantee that the recordings are actually deleted when the user requests that they are not actually storing additional information.

Many people purchasing these products are unfamiliar with how "the cloud" works and that it is used at all with these products. They may feel differently about them if they knew that everything they said was being transmitted to a server outside of their home for processing, or understanding what you said and saying something in response. Once their data leaves their network, they no longer have control over it and can't guarantee the safety of it. They're trusting Amazon to handle their data respectfully and do anything malicious with it.

What's interesting to consider is if and how this should be handled. Is it okay to have so many products, in our own homes, listening? Could or should this be regulated? How do we know who we can trust? Perhaps there could be some sort of required warning about it? We don't have the answers but this is definitely pushing us into a new direction.

Source Credibility

The Washington Post is a well-known news source and is primarily circulated in Washington, DC. The author is a legitimate full-time journalist with The Washington Post. It is notable, and noted within the article itself, that the owner of The Washington Post is the chief executive of Amazon. However, this point does not diminish the value of my analysis.