One Amazon Alexa user in Germany requested access to his activities on the service but he got more than he bargained for. The customer got access to thousands of recordings from another Amazon Alexa user. Amazon claims this happened because of “a human error” made by the company and is an isolated case. The customer was able to access and download 1,700 audio files from a stranger when Amazon sent him a link for his information. What can you glean from these recordings? A lot, apparently. The German trade publication c’t was able to contact the user who had his files shared by just listening to the recordings.
According to c’t, the first customer didn’t get a reply to Amazon initially when he raised the issue but then the files were deleted from the link provided. However, as we mentioned, he already downloaded the files. An Amazon spokesman said they’ve resolved the issue with the two customers involved and “took measures to further optimize our processes.” The company also contacted “relevant authorities” about the matter.
Source: Reuters