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Amazon Shares Data With Arkansas Prosecutor In Murder Case (ap.org)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Associated Press: Amazon dropped its fight against a subpoena issued in an Arkansas murder case after the defendant said he wouldn't mind if the technology giant shared information that may have been gathered by an Amazon Echo smart speaker. James Andrew Bates has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Victor Collins, who was found dead in a hot tub at Bates' home. In paperwork filed Monday, Bates said Amazon could share the information and Amazon said it handed over material on Friday. The Echo "listens" for key words and may have recorded what went on before Collins was found dead in November 2015. Amazon had fought a subpoena, citing its customers' privacy rights. A hearing had been set for Wednesday on whether any information gathered was even pertinent.
Echo is their deus ex machina
Starting with "Amazon shares..." makes it look like Amazon is the story. It's not. Headline should have started with "Defendant agrees to share...".
Not sure why it's a big deal, though - the search and seizure amendment prohibits doing that without due process. Looks like due process was being followed here.
If Amazon Echo records voice in the home , and there is a law in California that you are not allowed to record voice without consent , are all Amazon Echo customers in California breaking the law? Probably their guests being murdered didn't know they were also being recorded.
https://www.wesearchr.com/bounties/based-stick-man-legal-defense-fund
FIGHT TYRANNY
*playing Halo*
<VC> Alexi, have someone kill this bastard who keeps blowing me up with sticky grenades!
<Ekho> ok
*VC laughs*
And that's why you don't buy the knockoff version on eBay! ;)
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
And that's why these companies need to take a leaf out of Apple's book - don't collect data if you don't want to share it with law enforcement. Siri doesn't record you, and doesn't transmit anything to a server until it locally recognises "Hey Siri", or you physically press a button.
Of course, all these other companies are busy trying to mine all your user data, so they're busy transmitting and storing everything they possibly can. Then they try to pull the "user privacy" defence when they themselves have been busy violating your privacy.
I'm never buying from them again.
No matter what's in the recordings, it'll never be used to exonerate James Andrew Bates. If there's no evidence there for the prosecution, the evidence won't be brought into the trial. If anything in there, even taken out of context, can be used to show suspicion or guilt, it'll appear.
He presumably believes that since he's innocent, nothing in the recordings could possibly prove him guilty and there might be something there that'll help him look innocent. He thinks he's got nothing to lose. In truth he's got absolutely nothing to gain. If you're already named a defendant, and evidence like this may be declared inadmissable, you don't ever help your own prosecution.
"after the defendant said he wouldn't mind if the technology giant shared information that may have been gathered by an Amazon Echo smart speaker."
This is not a smart man. If he's even a little unlucky, he may very well have condemned himself, whether or not he actually did anything. All it could take is a poorly chosen word or two, a clever prosecutor, and a jury who can be convinced to "make a stand against criminals" or some such bullpucky.
Even if he didn't do it, he's effectively giving up his 5th.
"Qu'on me donne six lignes écrites de la main du plus honnête homme, j'y trouverai de quoi le faire pendre."
"If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him."
- Attributed to Cardinal Richelieu
Are you making claims beyond your knowledge? The device runs on proprietary software. By default we have no idea when the device is listening (most likely all the time, otherwise how would it know when someone uttered the 'wake word'?), we have no idea if there's a recording made, and we have no idea where that recording goes (users certainly don't get to control where the recordings go somewhere or if any such recordings are made).
Perhaps this is why it's a better idea to manually bring up a website & order something, or (by extension for TVs which are now "smart") not get a TV running proprietary software with a camera and mic aimed at the user...often in their bedroom aimed at squarely at their bed.
How many unwitting porn stars are there now? Just give us a round figure, so to speak.
Digital Citizen
Here
Quattuor res in hoc mundo sanctae sunt: libri, liberi, libertas et liberalitas.
I think he made Alexa promise to kill him.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
Both droids and Iphone have Sirii and Googlle Now
http://saveie6.com/
...it's almost like that thing experts have been screaming at the top of their lungs for a decade (or longer!) have been warning people about.
You sucked on the SaaS titty, and now you get to pay for it with your butthole.
And, as always, it always "begins" with the worst criminals. Pedophiles. Murders. "Think of the children!" they'll say, as they inch closer and closer to sticking a camera inside your anus while calling it "progress" and "freedom."
The next headline we can expect:
"James Andrew Bates Faces New Charges from Alexa Disclosures"
This man is an idiot.
Rule #1: If you're guilty, it's imperative to give prosecutors nothing not absolutely required by law.
Rule #2: There are so many laws on the books, you're guilty of something; even if you have done absolutely nothing wrong.
Nothing about this story should have made headlines...
until Amazon withheld reasonable evidence that had been reasonably subpoenaed...
because the subpoena asked for '*the* recoding' and Amazon said that was too broad.
Curious unless you assume Amazon like any other big company hoovered up and recorded everything.
Amazon didn't want the court and therefore the people to find out the 'recording' is a continuous stream since Alexis was turned on.
The prosecutors didn't see why they should 'narrow' their request so Amazon tried elsewhere.
Get the defense team to authorize the release...of something more 'reasonable.
Voila, Amazons problem solved.
Why would the defense agree?
Only if they felt it would help prove their innocence...
or if Amazon 'scratched' their back somehow.