FTC complaint accuses Echo Dot of Amazon of violating privacy law – Alternet.org

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A coalition of consumers and public health groups on Thursday demanded that federal regulators investigate and punish Amazon for its Echo Dot children's edition, arguing that the device illegally collects and keeps personal data on children.

The brightly-colored listening device, always active "will play music, answer questions, read stories, tell jokes, etc., all with a younger ear in mind, "according to Amazon. "FreeTime Unlimited, an included year, allows your kids to access thousands of hours of fun and educational content, including radio stations and ad-free playlists, audible books and an ever-growing list premium skills for children.

Amazon said in press statements Thursday that Echo Dot Kids Edition and FreeTime were following federal privacy rules, but 19 groups, led by Child-Free Free Childhood (CCFC) and the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD), do not agree.

In a complaint filed Thursday before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the coalition accused the device of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), on the basis of findings of a survey conducted by the CCFC and the Institute of Public Representation (IPR). at Georgetown Law.

"We have spent months analyzing Echo Dot Kids and the myriad of device privacy rules, and we still do not know exactly what data Amazon collects and has access to," said Angela Campbell, Member from the CCFC Board of Directors and Director of the IPR Communication and Technology Clinic, said in a statement.

"If privacy experts can not understand the labyrinth of Amazon's privacy policy," he asked, "how can a parent give valid consent to the collection of their children's data?" ?

Although questions remain about the device and data collection, the researchers' findings have alarmed them. In parallel with the complaint to the federal regulators, the coalition has launched a website that specifically describes how, according to experts, the device raises confidentiality issues and breaks the law:

  1. Amazon's personal information review process is unduly burdensome for parents. It does not allow parents to search for collected information, but asks them to read or listen to each voice recording of their child's interaction with the device.
  2. Amazon's parental consent mechanism does not guarantee that the person giving consent is the parent of the child. Among other problems, it can be bypassed by a child with a disposable debit gift card.
  3. Amazon keeps the personal information of children longer than it is reasonably necessary. It only suppresses information if a parent explicitly requests deletion by contacting Customer Service, otherwise this information is retained indefinitely.
  4. Amazon can not explain clearly how to remove the information collected about children via Echo Dot Kids Edition.
  5. Amazon's website and documentation direct parents who attempt to delete the information collected on their child to the voice record deletion page and fail to reveal that the deletion of voice recordings does not remove the underlying information . This is a material omission likely to mislead reasonable parents.
  6. Amazon does not give notice and does not obtain parental permission before recording the voices of children not living at home (visiting friends, family, etc.) with the owner of the home. 'apparatus.
  7. Amazon's direct notification does not meet the requirements of COPPA because it lacks essential information. His online review is also unsatisfactory because it contains so much confusing and unrelated information that a parent would be unable to decipher what applied to Echo Dot Kids Edition.
  8. Amazon does not disclose the skills of children (developed by third parties) who collect personal information about the child or what they collect. It tells parents to read the privacy policy of each child jurisdiction (prohibited under COPPA). 84.6% of children's skills do not provide a privacy policy.

The groups also played a video showing a test of the camera's memory function. As IPR says, "Amazon forgot to teach Alexa how to" forget ".

"Amazon offers Echo Dot Kids as a way to educate and entertain children, but the real goal is to collect a treasure trove of confidential data that it refuses to give up even when parents ask for it," said Josh Golin , Executive Director of CCFC. "The FTC must hold Amazon responsible for the flagrant violation of the law on the protection of children's privacy and their endangerment."

Sense Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) And Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) Have sent a letter to FTC Commissioner, Christine Wilson, Thursday for a federal inquiry into the Amazon device.

"We ask the Commission to take all the necessary measures to protect their privacy, because the devices" Internet of Things "for young consumers are coming to the market," wrote the legislator, "including by quickly conducting a survey on the COPPA compliance of Amazon Echo Dot Edition ".

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