Amazonia agreed this Wednesday to pay $30.8 million to solve the privacy complaints against Ring and Alexa filed by US regulatorsincluding allegations that their employees spied on usersaccording to court records.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) accused the home security camera company Ring owned by Amazon– Of failures to implement basic protections to prevent hacking or access to user devices or their accounts by employees.
According to the complaint, breaches in Ring’s security have led to “serious” violations. of privacy such as the “surveillance” of users by the security cameras in your rooms or bathrooms.
“Ring’s disregard for privacy and security has exposed consumers to snooping and harassment,” Samuel Levine, director of the commission’s consumer protection office, said in a statement.
Under a proposed order, which requires the approval of a judge, Ring will have to eliminate all illegally displayed data and increase security, reports AFP.
Hackers have exploited the vulnerabilities not only to access video feeds but also to take over cameras to taunt minors, make sexual advances and threaten families if they don’t pay a reward, according to the FTC.
Ring will pay $5.8 million as part of the settlement, according to the court document.
“Ring quickly addressed these issues on his own several years ago, long before the FTC launched its investigation,” Ring told AFP news agency, adding he disagreed with the allegations.
For its part, Amazon will pay an additional $25 million as part of a separate settlement to settle allegations that voice recordings of minors recorded by the Alexa virtual assistant were kept when they should have been deleted, according to the regulator.
US law “doesn’t allow companies to keep children’s data indefinitely for any reason, and certainly not to train their algorithms,” Levine said.
Amazon will identify and delete any personal information saved by child profiles that are no longer active, in the proposed order.
Source: Clarin
Linda Price is a tech expert at News Rebeat. With a deep understanding of the latest developments in the world of technology and a passion for innovation, Linda provides insightful and informative coverage of the cutting-edge advancements shaping our world.