amazon echo

Since its creation in 1994, Amazon has grown far beyond books.

National

How Big Is Amazon? Its Many Businesses In One Chart

2:16pm November 13, 2018

Amazon means shopping. It also makes movies and smart locks, publishes books, operates stores, and helps other companies deliver packages and run websites. How many Amazon brands will you recognize?

A couple in Portland, Ore., discovered that their Amazon Echo had recorded their conversation and sent it to one of their contacts.

Amazon Echo Recorded And Sent Couple's Conversation — All Without Their Knowledge

4:31pm May 25, 2018

by Laurel Wamsley

In what it called an "unlikely" string of events, Amazon says Alexa heard background conversation and misconstrued it as very specific directives.

[Insert disturbing reference to HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey here.]

Alexa, Please Stop Laughing: Amazon Says It's Fixing Device's Unprompted Cackles

10:12am March 08, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

After social media lit up with tales of creepy laughter, we now know why: The Echo's virtual assistant has been spontaneously laughing at its users. Now, the company says it is working on the issue.

An Amazon Echo, circa 2015, perched on a table beside a lamp. Not pictured: the actual Amazon Echo referenced in the case against James Bates.

National

Arkansas Prosecutors Drop Murder Case That Hinged On Evidence From Amazon Echo

6:20pm November 29, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

The government had charged James Bates with murder and sought recordings made by his personal assistant device. But the evidence ultimately was deemed to support more than one reasonable explanation.

Amazon's personal assistant device Echo, powered by the voice recognition program Alexa, is one of the most popular gifts this holiday season.

National

As We Leave More Digital Tracks, Amazon Echo Factors In Murder Investigation

4:55pm December 28, 2016

by Alina Selyukh

Arkansas police have served a warrant to Amazon looking for possible recordings from a murder scene. Privacy advocates have predicted a wave of cases involving smart home devices and gadgets.