The Audio Files Can Be Traced Back to You
One of the more concerning parts about the Bloomberg story is not that people are listening to your Alexa interactions, it’s that those interactions aren’t randomized.
Unlike firms like Apple or even Google, the files still bear an account number, first name, and device serial number — all information that can trace a recording back to you.
In a statement to Bloomberg, Amazon attempted to clarify its privacy practices. The firm claims that it only annotates “an extremely small sample of Alexa voice recordings.” It also said that there are strict safeguards in place, Amazon has a zero-tolerance policy for abuse, and employees apparently don’t have access to the identifiable user data.