Echo Dot for Kids Raises Concerns for Lawmakers

Amazon started shipping its Echo Dot for kids last week, and it’s already raised concerns for two lawmakers. Massachusetts’ Senator Ed Markey and Congressman Joe Barton from Texas, sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos with several questions about the new Echo Dot Kids Edition. The letter included 12 questions that centered around privacy concerns.

The device sells for $79.99 and plays kid-friendly music, answers questions, and comes with parental controls. Amazon says it doesn’t share kids’ data with third parties like advertisers. Additionally, parents can listen to archives of their child’s voice requests via the Alexa app and delete them as they see fit.

But with GDPR on the horizon, privacy concerns around voice data will need to be addressed more directly.

GDPR Implications for Speech Technology

With regard to AI-enabled devices like Siri and Alexa that listen to surrounding conversations, vendors will likely have to gain permission from European consumers to record and store voices, and ensure that downstream applications are GDPR-compliant as well.

16 May 2018

Google Duplex Mimics Human Conversation, Raises Concerns

Duplex, which can use speech disfluencies like "um" and "ah" to sound more human—perhaps too human—can also make phone calls and appointments.

15 May 2018