"Human Error" Allowed Alexa User To Listen To Recordings From Another Home

By Bill Galluccio

December 20, 2018

Amazon smart devices sit on display during an unveiling event at the Amazon.com Inc. Spheres headquarters in Seattle, Washington

A German man was shocked when he discovered audio files from another person after he asked Amazon's Alexa to playback the recordings of his recent activities. According to NBC News, the man received a link from Amazon which contained audio files of his activities along with 1,700 files from another user.

He contacted Amazon but did not receive a reply from the company. He told German trade publication c't that the files were deleted from the link, but he had already downloaded them to his computer. He allowed the news outlet to listen to the files and they were able to identify the couple and contact them based on information gathered from their audio recordings

Amazon explained that the issue "was the result of a human error and an isolated single case." 

“We resolved the issue with the two customers involved and took measures to further optimize our processes. As a precautionary measure we contacted the relevant authorities”, an Amazon spokesman said.

Photo: Getty Images

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