Virtual assistant Alexa can help the police solve a serious murder in Floria

Alexa may be the key to breaking a pretty barbaric case in Florida: a woman killed by a spear with a 30cm long tongue piercing through her chest. The police here have obtained permission to collect audio recordings from two smart speakers Amazon Echo and Echo Dot in the victim’s home. They believe that they may have witnessed the murderer!

The incident happened in July of this year: Sylvia Galva Crespo, 32, was found dead at home in Hallandale Beach, Florida, after a mysterious accident that caused her to be pierced through the chest by a spear. mysteriously in the house At least that is the explanation that the husband, Adam Crespo, 43, told police before he was charged with second-degree murder.

Florida police believe that the Amazon Echo devices in the victim’s home may have been activated by the keyword at the time of the incident, making Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant a witness. It sounds like a story coming out of the Black Mirror movie.

Victims Silvia Galva and husband Adam Crespo

” We believe the evidence of the crime – the recordings of the Silvia Crespo attack taking place in the master bedroom – can be found on Amazon-managed servers,” the police explained in a statement. Related legal cases. A police department spokesman said authorities had received the recordings and were currently analyzing them.

It is not clear whether the police have gathered any new evidence (if any) from the recordings. We all know smart speakers are constantly listening to users, although Amazon insists that Alexa only records short snippets of content after being triggered by keywords, not all private conversations. Recently, researchers have discovered evidence that hackers can use these devices to eavesdrop and perform fraudulent schemes, so Amazon’s assertion does not seem to be true for very.

When asked to comment on the case, an Amazon spokesman said:

” Amazon does not disclose customer information at the request of the authorities unless we are required to do so in order to comply with a legally enforceable order. Amazon denies excessive or inappropriate requests. “.

Reference: Gizmodo