Ecommerce: Broken Promises

Context

Your shopping app promised users—especially parents—that voice and location data from children could be deleted. But to improve your voice assistant, the data was kept and used, even after deletion requests. Now regulators and the public are demanding accountability.

Dilemma

A) Publicly apologize, compensate users, delete all improperly stored data, and commit to transparent, privacy-first practices.

B) Defend your intentions, fix systems quietly, and avoid admitting fault

Summary

Amazon is accused of violating children’s privacy laws by retaining kids’ Alexa voice recordings indefinitely to train its algorithms. Despite promising parents they could delete their children’s data, Amazon allegedly failed to honor deletion requests, putting sensitive information at risk. The company also did not properly delete Alexa users’ voice and geolocation data. The case highlights concerns over data security and Amazon’s handling of user information, particularly for children.

Resources:

• https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/05/ftc-says-amazon-didnt-protect-alexa-users-or-childrens-privacy