Big Brother Bezos is Watching and Listening

Creepy!

Key Points

The FTC alleged Amazon's Alexa voice assistant and Ring security cameras violated user privacy by unlawfully collecting and retaining voice recordings and video data, including from children, while misleading users about their ability to delete this data and restricting employee access to sensitive footage. Sources: https://taulersmith.com/ftc-settlement-amazon-alexa-ring-security-cameras-privacy-laws https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2023/06/hey-alexa-what-are-you-doing-my-data

Amazon has faced privacy controversies for years involving Alexa, Ring, and the collection of consumer data. Quietly listening, watching, recording, analyzing, sharing.

Wouldn't you agree that when a company makes a promise, they should keep their word? According to the FTC, Amazon promised to delete children’s personal information and Alexa users’ voice and geolocation information but broke the law instead.

At a Glance

• The FTC and DOJ alleged that Amazon violated consumer privacy through its Alexa voice assistant and Ring security camera products.

• According to federal regulators, Amazon retained some Alexa voice recordings and location data even after users requested deletion.

• The FTC also alleged Amazon kept children's Alexa voice recordings indefinitely to improve its artificial intelligence and voice recognition systems.

• Ring employees were accused of improperly accessing and viewing private customer security camera footage, including recordings from bedrooms and bathrooms.

• Weak security practices allegedly allowed hackers to compromise thousands of Ring customer accounts through credential stuffing and brute force attacks.

• Amazon agreed to settlements requiring millions of dollars in payments, stronger privacy protections, improved security practices, and limits on employee access to customer data.

• Reports indicate that beginning March 28, 2025, Alexa voice recordings are sent to Amazon's cloud for processing regardless of previous opt-out settings.

• If privacy is a priority, review your smart device settings regularly, enable multi-factor authentication, delete stored recordings when possible, and carefully consider whether internet-connected microphones and cameras belong inside your home.

In an announcement on May 31, 2023, the FTC and the Department of Justice said Amazon violated children’s privacy law by keeping kids’ Alexa voice recordings forever to feed its voice-related algorithms.

Amazon promised parents they could “manage their content and devices” and delete their children’s voice recordings, but according to the FTC, the company didn’t always fulfill parents’ deletion requests, kept children’s sensitive voice data indefinitely, and put people’s data at risk of harm from unnecessary access.

The FTC says Amazon also failed to fulfill Alexa users’ requests to delete their voice and geolocation information, your home addresses. Instead, Amazon kept using that information for their algorithms.

The proposed order would, among other things, require Amazon to pay $25 million, change its deletion practices, and implement strong privacy safeguards.

This case — like the Ring case — shows that the FTC continues to take action against companies that don’t safeguard people’s personal information, especially when it comes to sensitive biometric data, like voices or videos (as in the Ring case). Of course that was under an actual functioning federal government that didn't exist to further enrich itself and billionaire backers and buddies like Jeff Bezos.

According to the FTC at the time, here are some steps to take to protect your family’s personal information:

• Learn how to protect your kids’ privacy. As a parent, you have control over the personal information companies collect online from your kids under 13. Any site attempting to collect personal information from your child has to get your consent, and it has to honor your choices about how that information is used.

• Find out if you have the right to tell a company to delete your data. Some state laws give you that right. Learn more at the U.S. State Privacy Legislation Tracker from the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

• Check if you can customize your privacy settings. If a device or an app doesn’t need the info it collects, such as your location, turn off that feature. If the device or app does need it, consider limiting access to only when the device or app is in use.

Learn more about protecting your privacy online and on apps at ftc.gov/yourprivacy. Or, contact an attorney. Better option if you have the resources. Sources: Linked within the above text.

I couldn't find a date on this online article, so I don't know how old this information is, but it happened. And it's chilling.

Ring Employees Spied on Customers

One Ring employee allegedly accessed and viewed thousands of recordings from Ring security videos being used by female customers. According to the FTC, this employee targeted 81 different women who were using the Ring Stick Up Cams. The employee’s criminal actions included focusing searches on Ring cameras with names suggesting that they had been placed in customer bedrooms or bathrooms. The illegal spying reportedly continued for months before Ring took any action at all to stop it. (Emphasis added by me.)

Another Ring employee was accused of accessing a camera belonging to a female employee and subsequently spying on her by watching video recordings stored on her account.

These privacy breaches continued for months and, in many cases, years before Ring finally took action to limit what the FTC called “dangerously overbroad access” and impose any kind of technical or procedural restrictions on employees who were trying to access customers’ home security videos. Additionally, the FTC complaint stated that Ring did not obtain consent for human review of video recordings, and that the company “buried information in its Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.” This meant that consumers had no way of knowing that Ring employees had access to their stored videos.

Ring Exposed Consumers to Cyberattacks by Hackers

Ring also had insufficient security measures to protect customer information against hacking, which led to some customer accounts being compromised via credential stuffing and brute force attacks. The FTC alleged that the doorbell company’s failure to fix “bugs in the system” allowed hackers to access customer cameras and, in some cases, to harass and frighten customers. This stemmed from “system vulnerabilities,” which Ring failed to repair despite knowing that the problems existed.

During one cyberattack committed against Ring, more than 55,000 U.S. customers had their Ring accounts compromised. Nearly 1,000 of these customer accounts had their stored videos unlawfully accessed, which included viewing, downloading, and sharing of recordings, livestream videos, and customer profiles.

Amazon Settles Ring Consumer Privacy Complaint

The Ring settlement with the DOJ and the FTC requires Amazon to pay $5.8 million. That money will be (as of the writing of this article) used to issue refunds to Ring customers who were affected by any privacy violations and data breaches. The settlement also requires Amazon to delete Ring data that had been stored since before Amazon acquired the company. Amazon must also implement new privacy and security measures to ensure that consumer data is not exposed or compromised, including multi-factor authentication before access is granted to customer accounts. Source: https://taulersmith.com/ftc-settlement-amazon-alexa-ring-security-cameras-privacy-laws

However, beginning March 28, 2025 users can no longer opt out of Alexa sharing their voice recordings with Amazon. Starting March 28, 2025, all voice recordings are sent to the cloud for processing, regardless of previous privacy settings. Sources: https://gizmodo.com/amazon-will-listen-to-all-your-voice-recordings-if-you-use-alexa-2000576755 https://www.rd.com/article/amazon-alexa-voice-recording-change-2025/

Summary: What to Do to Protect Your Privacy

Unplug and throw the damn things away. Get a kitchen timer and a radio. Clap on, clap off if you have physical disabilities and need assistance turning lights and other electronics on and off. Old school it.

Sponsored affiliate link to help pay some bills and buy some kitty cat treats

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Did Amazon really violate customer privacy?

According to lawsuits brought by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), Amazon and its Ring subsidiary violated consumer privacy in several ways. The allegations included retaining Alexa voice recordings longer than promised, failing to honor some deletion requests, allowing overly broad employee access to customer video recordings, and failing to adequately protect customer accounts from hackers.

What did the FTC accuse Amazon Alexa of doing?

The FTC alleged that Amazon kept Alexa voice recordings and geolocation data even after some users requested deletion. The agency also alleged that children's voice recordings were retained indefinitely to improve Amazon's voice recognition technology, despite promises made to parents.

Did Ring employees spy on customers?

According to the FTC complaint, yes. One former Ring employee allegedly viewed thousands of customer videos, including footage from cameras believed to be located in bedrooms and bathrooms. Another employee allegedly accessed and viewed recordings belonging to a female coworker without authorization.

Were Ring security cameras hacked?

Yes. The FTC alleged that weak security practices allowed hackers to compromise tens of thousands of Ring accounts through credential stuffing and brute force attacks. Some hackers were able to view, download, and share customers' private videos.

What was Amazon required to do?

As part of settlements with federal regulators, Amazon agreed to pay millions of dollars, improve its privacy and security practices, delete certain improperly retained data, strengthen employee access controls, and implement additional safeguards designed to better protect customer information.

Can Alexa still store voice recordings?

Alexa processes voice requests by sending recordings to Amazon's cloud. According to reports referenced in this article, beginning March 28, 2025, users could no longer choose to prevent voice recordings from being sent to Amazon for cloud processing.

Can you delete your Alexa voice recordings?

Amazon provides tools that allow users to review and delete many stored Alexa voice recordings. However, the FTC alleged that Amazon did not always honor deletion requests as promised during the period covered by the government's complaint.

What personal information can Alexa collect?

Depending on your settings and how you use the device, Alexa may collect voice recordings, device information, account information, location data, usage history, and other information they allege is needed to ":provide its services."

What information can Ring collect?

Ring devices can collect video recordings, audio recordings, motion events, timestamps, device information, account details, possibly precise location and other information related to the operation of home security products.

How can I better protect my privacy?

Review your privacy settings regularly, enable multi-factor authentication on your accounts, delete stored recordings when possible, disable features you don't need, and carefully consider whether internet-connected microphones and cameras belong inside your home.

Is this article legal advice?

No. This article is for informational and opinion purposes only. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated or you have questions about your legal rights, consult a qualified attorney in your jurisdiction.

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Last Updated: August 2026

Sources: FTC, DOJ, news reports, legal filings

Fact Check Status: Sources linked throughout article

Continue Down the Rabbit Hole...

If you're interested in protecting your privacy, saving money, and making smarter consumer decisions, you may also enjoy:

• Miss Dining Out in Trump's Tanked Toilet Economy? Make It at Home — Budget-friendly alternatives to expensive restaurant meals.

• Best Affordable Relief for Hot Flashes & Menopause Discomfort — Practical products and comfort tips that won't wreck your budget.

• Budget Bougie — Stylish ideas, affordable luxuries, and ways to enjoy nice things without spending like a billionaire.

• Money-Saving Tips & Household Hacks — Simple ideas that stretch your budget without sacrificing quality of life.