Federal Judge Allows Amazon Alexa Users’ Privacy Lawsuit to Proceed Nationwide

A federal judge in Seattle has ruled that Amazon must face a nationwide lawsuit involving tens of millions of Alexa users. The case alleges that the company improperly recorded and stored private conversations without user consent. U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik determined that Alexa owners met the legal requirements to pursue collective legal action for damages and an injunction to halt the alleged practices. 

The lawsuit claims Amazon violated Washington state law by failing to disclose that it retained and potentially used voice recordings for commercial purposes. Plaintiffs argue that Alexa was intentionally designed to secretly capture billions of private conversations, not just the voice commands directed at the device. According to their claim, these recordings may have been stored and repurposed without permission, raising serious privacy concerns.

Amazon strongly disputes the allegations. 

The company insists that Alexa includes multiple safeguards to prevent accidental activation and denies evidence exists showing it recorded conversations belonging to any of the plaintiffs. Despite Amazon’s defense, Judge Lasnik stated that millions of users may have been impacted in a similar manner, allowing the case to move forward. Plaintiffs are also seeking an order requiring Amazon to delete any recordings and related data it may still hold.

The broader issue at stake in this case centers on privacy rights within the home.

If proven,

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