Amazon’s Echo devices and its virtual assistant are meant to help find answers by listening for your voice commands. However, police in Arkansas want to know if one of the gadgets overheard something that can help with a murder case. According to The Information, authorities in Bentonville issued a warrant for Amazon to hand over any audio or records from an Echo belonging to James Andrew Bates. Bates is set to go to trial for first-degree murder for the death of Victor Collins next year.
Amazon declined to give police any of the information that the Echo logged on its servers, but it did hand over Bates’ account details and purchases. Police say they were able to pull data off of the speaker, but it’s unclear what info they were able to access. Due to the so-called always on nature of the connected device, the authorities are after any audio the speaker may have picked up that night. Sure, the Echo is activated by certain words, but it’s not uncommon for the IoT gadget to be alerted to listen by accident.
Police say Bates had several other smart home devices, including a water meter. That piece of tech shows that 140 gallons of water were used between 1AM and 3AM the night Collins was found dead in Bates’ hot tub. Investigators allege the water was used to wash away evidence of what happened off of the patio. The examination of the water meter and the request for stored Echo information raises a bigger question about privacy. At a time when we have any number of devices tracking and automating our habits at home, should that information be used against us in criminal cases?
Bates’ attorney argues that it shouldn’t. “You have an expectation of privacy in your home, and I have a big problem that law enforcement can use the technology that advances our quality of life against us,” defense attorney Kimberly Weber said. Of course, there’s also the question of how reliable information is from smart home devices. Accuracy can be an issue for any number of IoT gadgets. However, an audio recording would seemingly be a solid piece of evidence, if released.
ht/ all too much
Evidence is evidence, no? If I have installed home security cameras around my home and commit a murder that is picked up and I do not delete the video, is the video mine if the police have a warrant? Our DNA is constantly used to convict/de-convict. The more evidence the better, I say.
Anything with a microphone could be listening to you. Good luck with that.
I would never buy these stupid devices that’s what a smartphone is for. By the way I keep my smartphone in a soundproof box when not in use. I believe the mic is always live.
I don’t allow any of that spying shit in my house. But there aren’t much limits to intrusion if you are suspected of a serious crime like this.
The “police state” factor is what bothers me. Imagine the day you are arrested for not maintaining your facebook page with all your current activities. Some control freaks won’t be happy until every citizen is voice-printed, facially recognized in a database, chipped, fingerprinted, and DNA’d.
I’ll live in a fucking cave before I’ll submit to that kind of crap.
What surprised me is the number of moronic friends that have these.
Think of it as a recorder for a future trial. All stored on a great free NSA account.
It’d be shame if you bothered a public official wouldn’t it?
Now look back at the caffeine DUIand reflect….
But, they can’t hear what you think.
I don’t worry about what may be recording me. Hell, the words I’m typing right now are being recorded. If I’m that interesting have at it… just throw me the residuals. I work hard, pay my taxes and take care of my family. I’m too busy to be a criminal.
The cable guy was astounded when we told him we did not want to hook up the new TV to the internet.
“Don’t you want to do Netflix and the like?”
“No.”
Found the mic hole, somehow it got filled with clay.
I wouldn’t be too sure that wuz clay…
We have a new Ford van at work, it’s a nice vehicle except that it has a disembodied robot (female) voice that asks me what I want to do when I stop and pull the key out of ignition. I hate that and found I could disable it by opening the door.
The only one I want watching and listening to me is
the Lord when I pray–come and take me out of here.
Die Gedanken sind Frei! We should appropriate that old protest song and sing it at rallies.
I’ve always thought that it is a good practice to leave a normal volume of records showing normal, boring life activities. The other side of that coin is to be extremely careful about any activities outside that description. Cash for those “special” purposes, especially buying things such as burner phones or ammunition. I’m sure y’all get the idea.
I worked in the Strategic Air Command underground command post at Offutt AFB in Omaha during the mid 70’s. Digital watches had just recently come out and we were forbidden to wear them down there for fear they could somehow be used to eavesdrop on conversation.
Just remember what happened to Michael Hastings.
Ratfink, they are not looking to snoop on what you would call a criminal. They are looking to snoop on anyone who MIGHT be a problem for them. Could be you even if you are a traditionally good boy.
Wasn’t this the plot of the last Bourne movie?
This isn’t really “snooping” but rather something worse. All of this information – data and metadata – is being stored. Yes, it is a vast amount but “large data” analytical methods have been developed to make scanning through it for programmatic matches fairly efficient. There are only a relative few individuals being watched at any given time, but this data collection can be used to look for any behavior patterns that TPTB might regard as undesirable. And once an individual is so tagged, everyone that person has had any contact with becomes suspect.