Privacy Concerns Could Impact Alexa Device Sales This Prime Day

Thirty-nine percent of expectant Prime Day shoppers recently polled by PCMag said privacy concerns will discourage them from purchasing Alexa-enabled products.

Prime Day is almost here, which means that big discounts on Echo smart speakers and other Amazon Alexa gadgets are just around the corner.

But a new PCMag survey of US consumers who plan to purchase tech on Prime Day indicates that privacy concerns, including revelations that Amazon has thousands of people listening to Alexa voice recordings every day, may impact sales of these devices. Thirty-nine percent of the 1,000 expectant Prime Day shoppers polled by PCMag between May 28 and May 31 said recent privacy issues will discourage them from purchasing Alexa-enabled products. Meanwhile, 61 percent said these concerns won’t impact their decision to buy these devices.

The finding comes after Bloomberg in April revealed that Amazon employs thousands of people around the world to listen to Alexa voice recordings to identify human speech the virtual assistant doesn’t understand. Amazon says this human element helps Alexa get better at its job.

“For example, this information helps us train our speech recognition and natural language understanding systems, so Alexa can better understand your requests, and ensure the service works well for everyone,” an Amazon spokesperson reportedly said.

Meanwhile, the PCMag survey also touched on another Prime Day worry: porch pirates. Thirty-six percent of those planning to shop on Prime Day said they are concerned about porch pirates stealing their packages. Of those who are concerned about this risk, 13 percent plan to work from home to collect their parcels and 10 percent plan to have their packages sent to a different location such as work. Just 13 percent of those worried about porch pirates have a home security camera installed.

An outdoor home security camera can give you peace of mind when expecting deliveries and help protect your home all the time. If you’re looking to install one in time for Prime Day, our favorites include Arlo Pro 2, Arlo Ultra, Ezviz C3W ezGuard Wi-Fi Security Camera, and Ring Stick Up Cam Battery. Also be sure to check out our how-to article on protecting your front door deliveries.