The_Guardian_-_2016-12-29

While that would seem to limit the use of the Echo data in the investigation, the device is also
occasionally accidentally activated, through similar sounds. Those snippets of audio could potentially
be useful to police investigating a crime, as could the timing information of when they were recorded.
According to the report, the court records show police took the Echo and extracted some data from it.
US prosecutors and defense attorneys have both found new uses for “smart” device data in the
courtroom in recent years, especially information collected by wristwatch-style Fitbit activity
trackers. In 2014, a Canadian woman sued her former employer over a debilitating injury she claimed
to have sustained during her work as a personal trainer; she submitted data from her Fitbit to prove
that “her activity levels are still lower than the baseline for someone of her age and profession,”
according to reports.
Conversely, when a Florida woman claimed an intruder had assaulted her, police used information
from a Fitbit she had been wearing during the alleged assault that suggested she had in fact been
asleep at time. She was subsequently charged with filing a false report.
Amazon’s reluctance to part with user information fits a familiar pattern. Tech companies often see
law enforcement requests for data as invasive and damaging to an industry that considers privacy a
prime selling point. Last year, Apple went to court with the FBI over the bureau’s demand that that
company break its own encryption on an iPhone belonging to one of the shooters in the San
Bernardino spree killing.
But firms often retain a “back door” for their own use – to automatically scan emails for key terms
used to target advertising, for example – and that can complicate claims that law enforcement access
would uniquely invade a user’s privacy. Amazon’s internal approach to user data will likely prove
integral to its ability to resist the warrant.
In the Echo case, police also extracted data from a different smart home device, a water meter. Bates’
smart water meter recorded a flow of 140 gallons between 1am and 3am, the report said. Prosecutors
claim this is an unfeasibly large amount of water use, and allege it was the result of the garden hose
being used to spray the patio clean of blood. Bates’s defence team disputes the accuracy of the
readings.
Bates pleaded not guilty in April 2016 and is on bail awaiting trial early next year.
This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/28/amazon-refuses-tolet-police-access-suspects-echo-recordings
| Section Menu | Main Menu |