'Alexa' has become a household name for many, with an estimated 130 million Amazon Echo units predicted to be sold by 2025. But are they safe?
Amazon has previously admitted that staff can listen to customers' conversations through the Echo, claiming that the data is used to help improve the device's understanding of human speech. This has led some tech experts like Dr Hannah Fry, a mathematician and expert on tech company algorithms, to advise users to place the devices downstairs and treat them like any other guest in their house, keeping them out of private areas in the home.
The associate professor at University College London told the Liverpool Echo: "I think there are some spaces in your home, like the bedroom and bathroom, which should remain completely private. "This technology is activated by a trigger word but it keeps recording for a short period afterward. People accept that, but we should all spend more time thinking about what it means for us."
