Following recent news reports indicating that Amazon, Inc., is positioning Alexa, its cloud-based voice service, to track consumer prescriptions and relay personal health information, Florida's chief financial officer (“CFO”), Jimmy Patronis, is urging consumers to be aware of potential health data privacy risks from revelations that Amazon pays employees to listen to actual users' audio files.
Mr. Patronis said, “How comfortable are you with a complete stranger listening to audio files from your home? That's a reality with Amazon's Alexa technology. Although it's built to make our lives easier and more productive, there are real privacy risks.
“Not only should you beef up your privacy protections when bringing an Alexa device into your home, but also make sure you weigh the risks when sharing personal information especially prescriptions or other medical information. Due to just one major data breach in 2017, 143 million Americans now face the potential of lifelong threats of identity theft. It's only a matter of time before voice technology suffers a breach.”
Mr. Patronis suggested that consumers:
- Turn off the mic and camera when not using Alexa;
- Delete old Alexa recordings; and
- Limit or disable Drop In permissions immediately.
Victoria Spears
Victoria Prussen Spears is senior vice president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and Brooklyn Law School, Ms. Spears was an attorney at a leading New York City law firm before joining Meyerowitz Communications. She may be contacted at [email protected].