Amazon has reportedly admitted it does not always delete the stored data that it obtains through voice interactions through its voice assistant Alexa and Echo line-up of smart devices. As reported by CNET, Brian Huseman, Amazon’s Vice President of Public Policy, responded to Delaware Senator Chris Coons on June 28, informing that Amazon keeps the transcripts until users “manually delete the information”.
“Huseman also noted that Amazon had an ‘ongoing effort to ensure those transcripts do not remain in any of Alexa’s other storage systems’. “There are still records from some conversations with Alexa that Amazon won’t delete, even if people remove the audio, the letter revealed,” the report said. The answers came as a follow-up to a request from Coons dating to last month when the Senator questioned how long the company holds on to voice recordings and transcripts from Echo interactions.
“The American people deserve to understand how their personal data is being used by tech companies, and I will continue to work with both consumers and companies to identify how to best protect Americans’ personal information,” Coons was quoted as saying in a statement by CNET. According to Amazon, other types of Alexa requests, like setting an alarm, reminder, or calendar event, also leave data.
Besides, it was recently reported that Amazon Alexa will soon come to select models of Android TV. While Amazon apps can be easily installed on any compatible Android device before, Alexa is coming bundled for the first time. In some ways, Alexa coming to Android TVs is coming to Apple iTunes debuting on Windows for the first time. Amazon first announced plans to bring Alexa to select Sony Bravia TVs running Android TV back in April.
Now, a listing on Google Play Store has confirmed that the integration is coming very soon. This could mean that Amazon Echo owners will be able to control their TV via smart speakers. You will also be able to directly summon Alexa on your Android TV as well. The app, simply called Amazon Alexa, is now available for download on select Sony Bravia Android TVs. The app is available in the US, UK, Germany, Spain, France, Austria and the Republic of Ireland.
– With inputs from IANS