Out of the mouths of babes? FTC says Amazon kept kids’ Alexa voice data forever – even after parents ordered deletion

Out of the mouths of babes? FTC says Amazon kept kids' Alexa voice data forever – even after parents ordered deletion By Lesley Fair "Stop it!" Moms and Dads may have to repeat that instruction to their kids, but when parents said it to Amazon in an effort to get the company to delete children's voice data obtained through its Alexa voice assistant, Amazon should have honored those requests immediately. But according to a complaint filed by the Department of Justice on the FTC's behalf, Amazon responded by deleting files in some databases while maintaining them elsewhere – meaning the information was available for Amazon to use for its own purposes. The lawsuit alleges Amazon violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act Rule by flouting parents' deletion requests, retaining kids' voice recordings indefinitely, and not giving parents the straight story about its data deletion practices. Amazon also allegedly violated the FTC Act by falsely representing that Alexa app users could delete their geolocation information and voice recordings and by engaging in unfair privacy practices related to deletion, retention, and employee access to data. The $25 million settlement with Amazon sends a clear message about the consequences of putting profits over privacy. Read more > SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:  Manage Preferences  |  Unsubscribe  |  Help This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission

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