Negative Impacts

While virtual assistants provide ease in everyday tasks there are some negative impacts to be mindful of. Virtual assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and the Google assistant all have the ability to collect and record personal, potentially identifiable, and sensitive information. One issue they have is that they are vulnerable to process failure and are easily hacked resulting in breaches in the users privacy. The data that is collected from these assistants is used to improve their learning and is maintained by the companies who own the assistants. Some of the virtual assistants will continuously record data even when not activated causing them to record sometimes private conversations meant to be kept between the owners of the device. The main negative impacts revolve around breaches in the users privacy and the fact that the companies who create these devices make the rules of whether or not the data is recorded and the levels of privacy the users have. In regard to this breach of privacy, there are some legal implications to the various virtual assistants such as the Amazon Echo. First it must be recognized that the US constitution does not explicitly say that it will protect your privacy however the Supreme Court has stated multiple times that a person has their right to their own privacy. By 2001 with the passing of the Patriot Act, NSA and other government agencies were given the ability to track who is calling whom. 

A 2017 study found that over 35 million U.S. users own and enable their voice activated speakers, which is over 10 percent of the population(Manikonda). Many folks buy these machines as gifts or for personal use, but what happens to all the data it stores is more than a little shady. Fortunately for AI companies, it has not slowed down the advancement of AI and its continued development and popularity in society. It has serious benefits, but as AI evolves, our ability to analyze and use personal information becomes increasingly significant(Brookings). Reviews about the product reveal the shocking legal implications of having an Alexa, such as: “I returned my Echo because of privacy concerns. Now judges are issuing subpoenas in court cases for Echo records[...] with the recent court revelations [...] A legal nightmare potential for anyone who values at least a modicum of civil rights or cares about not only their privacy”(CNBC). Our right to privacy within our own homes is critical, and it should not be compromised because of the technology industry advancing. As we move forward, device legality will be setting precedents around whether or not we can preserve and prevent our personal information to be stored and sold when we decide to participate in a world full of data-storage.