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Pennsylvania sues Amazon, says Alexa illegally records children

The Seattle Times
FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, file photo, an Amazon Echo Dot is displayed during a program announcing several new Amazon products by the company, in Seattle. A test by an AP reporter finds that the virtual assistant Alexa inside the Echo Dot is good at reordering stuff bought previously on Amazon. But asking it to order new items was trickier, and it’s definitely not for browsing. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

SEATTLE – A lawsuit claims Amazon is violating laws in at least eight states by recording children without consent through Alexa devices.

The Seattle Times reports the lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Seattle claims the voice-controlled virtual assistant devices permanently records millions of children without their consent or parents’ consent.

It claims the devices can identify individual voices and Amazon could ask for consent when a new person uses the device.

The suit claims Amazon’s failure to obtain consent violates recording laws in Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington.

An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment.

The Seattle suit filed on behalf of a 10-year-old Massachusetts girl is similar to another lawsuit filed the same day in a state court in Los Angeles.

Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com