Attention to Alexa in the company

The German Parliament’s Scientific Service has produced an expert report warning about the dangers of Alexa (and other similar gadgets are not exempt) for children and visitors.

While you, as the owner of such a device, are aware of the data transfers and have usually accepted the corresponding privacy policy (without reading it, of course), this is usually not the case with children and especially guests. If they do not even say the keyword, data will be transferred to Amazon, Google or the other operators without their knowledge. In addition, it remains unclear, at least for Amazon, “for what other purposes Amazon could use its data in the future,” the report states.

Even if the government itself is not responsible for limiting possible misuse by providers, and the data protection problem in families and the like should therefore probably only serve as a warning to thoughtful use, this can certainly look different in the business sector. If there is a voice assistant in the business area and if customers or even business partners are possibly affected by the data transfers, in whatever way they happen, a lack of clarification of customers could also lead to the intervention of data protection authorities in the future or, in the worst case, to a warning from competitors.

I am not currently aware of any legal disputes in this regard. However, one should be aware of the problems as a store provider or small business owner. Fittingly, this article should be interesting. In terms of labor law, too, for example in an office, it should be well considered whether data protection with regard to entrepreneurs is complied with if voice assistance systems are installed there.

Author: Marian Härtel

Marian Härtel ist Rechtsanwalt und Fachanwalt für IT-Recht mit einer über 25-jährigen Erfahrung als Unternehmer und Berater in den Bereichen Games, E-Sport, Blockchain, SaaS und Künstliche Intelligenz. Seine Beratungsschwerpunkte umfassen neben dem IT-Recht insbesondere das Urheberrecht, Medienrecht sowie Wettbewerbsrecht. Er betreut schwerpunktmäßig Start-ups, Agenturen und Influencer, die er in strategischen Fragen, komplexen Vertragsangelegenheiten sowie bei Investitionsprojekten begleitet. Dabei zeichnet sich seine Beratung durch einen interdisziplinären Ansatz aus, der juristische Expertise und langjährige unternehmerische Erfahrung miteinander verbindet. Ziel seiner Tätigkeit ist stets, Mandanten praxisorientierte Lösungen anzubieten und rechtlich fundierte Unterstützung bei der Umsetzung innovativer Geschäftsmodelle zu gewährleisten.