Explainer · case D02 · 60 seconds
01 / 08 · Setup
ALEXA, PLAY JAZZ.
who heard it?
02 / 08 · Tension
ECHO ? BUCHAREST. BOSTON. CHENNAI.
workers listening on 3 continents
03 / 08 · Reveal
BLOOMBERG
Matt Day · April 2019 · 7 anonymous workers
04 / 08 · Mechanism
trigger → 10–30s recording → random sample → transcribe team
Echo device
false trigger "Alexis"
Transcribe team 24/7
Romania · India · USA
they heard: sex · crimes · medical talks · children
05 / 08 · Scale
100M ECHO. 3 CONTINENTS 24/7.
100+ M
Echo devices
$120 M
USD settlement
BIPA
Illinois — pending
06 / 08 · Expose
APRIL 2019
Bloomberg
Matt Day
The Sun · Guardian
follow-up reporting
CNIL · Garante
European probes
7 anonymous workers as sources
07 / 08 · Settlement
$120 M
class action In re Amazon Alexa Privacy · 2024
+ $25M USD FTC for children (D03). BIPA Illinois class action pending. Amazon: opt-in for "human review".
08 / 08
ALEXA
Always-on means always. Your "Hey Alexa" was heard by someone in Romania, Boston, Chennai.
Case D02 in Big Tech Files.