While Alexa might be useful for homework and music, the voice assistant’s penchant for logging conversations might not sit too well with parents. A recent FTC complaint lodged by consumer advocate groups addresses just that — alleging “kid’s edition” echo products are collecting voice recordings and personal information from children. We’ve talked about Alexa’s creepy listening habits before, but this latest controversy from the digital retail giant is making parents nervous for the right reasons. It’s one thing when companies snoop on our data, but what could they possibly want from our kids?
How do I remove my kid’s information from Alexa?
Kids, despite not having incomes of their own, are prime advertising targets for toy, game, and apparel companies. It’s logical to assume that kids’ interaction patterns with Alexa could be a goldmine of valuable information for ad makers and marketing researchers. It’s not the first time in history kids have been targeted (remember Joe Camel?) But it would rank among the least ethical. After all, if a kid doesn’t fully understand the ramifications of data privacy, how can they make an informed decision to participate in a service that’s listening to them. At Komando.com, we’re going to recommend you give the Kid’s Edition Echo Dot a pass until the FTC complaint pans out. We don’t know the full consequences yet, and it’s better to keep your kids safe than to let them be guinea pigs for corporate marketers. Not to mention, I think any adult would get sick of seeing toy and video game ads on every banner they see online.
