When Amazon launched its kid’s version of the Echo Dot smart speaker, we hoped it would be a technological blessing, rather than a curse. But as further proof that private information is no longer sacred, a complaint filed yesterday with the US Federal Trade Commission alleges that the devices are unlawfully storing kids’ data — even after parents attempt to delete it.
Child and privacy advocacy groups submitted a 96-page complaint with the FTC that alleges, in part, that:
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Amazon’s process for reviewing personal information places undue burden on parents. (Parents cannot search through the information and must instead read or listen to every voice recording of their child’s interaction with the device in order to review.)
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Amazon’s parental consent mechanism does not provide assurance that the person giving consent is the parent of the child.
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Amazon does not disclose which “kid skills”—developed by third parties—collect child personal information or what they collect. It tells parents to read the privacy policy of each kid skill, but the vast majority did not provide individual privacy policies.
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Amazon does not give notice or obtain parental consent before recording the voices of children who do not live in the home (visiting friends, family, etc.) with the owner of the device. They advertise having the technology to create voice profiles for customised user experiences but fail to use it to stop information collection from unrecognised children.
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Amazon’s website and literature directs parents trying to delete information collected about their child to the voice recording deletion page and fails to disclose that deleting voice recordings does not delete the underlying information.
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Amazon keeps children’s personal information longer than reasonably necessary. It only deletes information if a parent explicitly requests deletion by contacting customer service; otherwise it is retained forever.
To further prove its point, the CCFC performed a test in which a child told Alexa to “remember” a fake name, social security number, telephone number, address and food allergy. Alexa remembered and repeated the information, despite several attempts by an adult to delete or edit it.
In response to the complaint, an Amazon spokesperson said in an email, “FreeTime on Alexa and Echo Dot Kids Edition are compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA),” and directed users to more information on its privacy practices here.
The Kids Edition of Echo Dot is not currently sold by Amazon Australia, but the story is a pertinent reminder that smart speakers should not be trusted with all of your personal data.
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