Alexa Installed In Apartments Before People Move In
| Alexa Installed In Apartments Before People Move In | |
|---|---|
| Short Title | Property Management Installs Amazon’s Alexa Into Apartments Before Tenants Move In |
| Location | Global |
| Date | September 2020 |
| Solove Harm | Exclusion, Surveillance |
| Information | Communication |
| Threat Actors | Amazon |
| Individuals | |
| Affected | Landlords and property management |
| High Risk Groups | |
| Tangible Harms | |
Amazon announced a new program making it cheaper for property managers to install Alexa into rental units before people even move in.
Description
In September 2020 Amazon announced a new program called Alexa for Residential that would make it cheaper for apartment complexes to integrate Alexa and Amazon devices into their rental units. It means, that before people move in, a smart speaker will be installed that will need no set-up from them. This can be seen as Exclusion. Even though Amazon insists property managers won't access any tenant data and all voice recordings will be deleted daily, tenants are not taking the decision about the installation, it is taken for them by the landlords and/or property management.
Generally, voice assistant devices are known for being examples of Surveillance, as they have microphones that are always on, listening for so-called wake words.
Breakdown
Threat: Landlords and property management installing voice assistant Alexa with mocrophones that are always on into peoples homes before they move in
At-Risk group: Tenants
Harm: Exclusion
Secondary Consequences: not known
Threat:Voice assistant Alexa having the microphone always on listening to everything that is happening in the room
At-Risk group: Tenants
Harm: Surveillance
Secondary Consequences: not known