Amazon has released a statement to us confirming that it has updated Alexa, with the Echo device now confirming that it’s not connected to the CIA.
Following our report yesterday that Alexa would shut down when asked if it was connected to the CIA, Amazon has issued an update that confirms its allegiances. “This was a technical glitch which we have fixed,” the company said in a statement, with users now receiving a different response confirming that the device works solely for Amazon.
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A viral video showing Alexa seemingly shutting down in response to the question “are you connected to the CIA?” caused confusion, as it typically responds to every request from its user even if it doesn’t know the answer. Some began to speculate that Alexa was being used by the CIA as part of the agency’s surveillance efforts, following the “biggest ever” leak of confidential CIA documents by WikiLeaks, outlining its hacking and surveillance strategies that include breaking into electronic devices.
To put an end to these rumors, Amazon has released an update to the device. Now when a user asks it if it’s connected to the CIA, Alexa replies: “No, I work for Amazon.”
Take a look below:
Amazon recently agreed to hand over information potentially recorded by an Echo as part of a murder investigation. The Echo only records conversations after given the “Alexa” command prompt, though the Echo was reportedly playing music around the time of the murder. James Bates, who claims that he was asleep while a man was murdered in his hot tub, believes that recordings stored on the Echo will prove his innocence.
