"Alexa please Call The PoPo"

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**Frazzled**

http://nypost.com/2017/07/10/alexa-calls-cops-on-man-allegedly-beating-his-girlfriend/

A New Mexico man was arrested for allegedly beating his girlfriend and threatening to kill her — after Amazon’s Alexa called police, authorities said.

Eduardo Barros, 28, became angered with his unidentified girlfriend while house-sitting in Tijeras, about 15 miles east of Albuquerque, and the dispute suddenly turned physical on July 2, authorities said.

During the assault, Barros waved a gun and threatened to kill the woman before he allegedly asked: “Did you call the sheriffs?”

The question was inadvertently picked up by the smart speaker and the voice-powered virtual assistant recognized the phrase as a command — prompting it to call 911, Bernallillo County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Felicia Romero confirmed to The Post on Monday.

It’s unclear whether the speaker was connected to an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot device, but the Alexa virtual assistant was connected to a landline in the home, Romero said.

The violent ordeal unfolded after Barros allegedly got upset over a text message the woman received and accused her of cheating on him, KRQE reported.

“Barros told her she was not going anywhere and he was going to kill her,” according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by The Post. “When 911 called her phone, Barros saw the caller ID and threw [her] to the floor. Barros then kicked her while on the ground at least 10 times in the face and stomach. Barros told [the victim] he could not believe the cops had been called and he was not going back to prison and that she knew he was a felon. [The victim] stated she thought she was going to be killed or shot.”
Modal Trigger
Eduardo BarrosBernalillo County Sheriff’s Office

Responding deputies managed to remove the woman and her unidentified daughter from the home. She received minor injuries during the incident, but was not hospitalized. Her daughter was not harmed, Romero told ABC News.

Barros, a convicted felon, was later taken into custody after a crisis negotiation team and a SWAT team were called to the residence. He was ordered held without bail on charges that include possession of a firearm, aggravated battery and false imprisonment.

“The unexpected use of this new technology to contact emergency services has possibly helped save a life,” Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales III told ABC News. “This amazing technology definitely helped save a mother and her child from a very violent situation.”

**Steve steveson**

I wonder how many false calls amazon devices will now make when this is on the TV or radio news.

**daedalus**

That's funny to me. I don't advocate domestic violence and I'm glad that things turned out the way they did in this case, but people REALLY need to stop and contemplate the significance of living with a device that's effectively an always on surveillance system that's not beholden to any sort of real oversight or transparency.

**Frazzled**

daedalus wrote:
That's funny to me. I don't advocate domestic violence and I'm glad that things turned out the way they did in this case, but people REALLY need to stop and contemplate the significance of living with a device that's effectively an always on surveillance system that's not beholden to any sort of real oversight or transparency.

I cannot exalt this enough.

**Desubot**

Frazzled wrote:
daedalus wrote:
That's funny to me. I don't advocate domestic violence and I'm glad that things turned out the way they did in this case, but people REALLY need to stop and contemplate the significance of living with a device that's effectively an always on surveillance system that's not beholden to any sort of real oversight or transparency.

I cannot exalt this enough.

Seriously

the implications :/

then again its not like these companies arent mining an unglodly amount of data from "free" people anyway.

**Kilkrazy**

Baby alarms, CCTV and web cams, your fridge -- this is why it's come to be called the Internet of gak.

**Grey Templar**

daedalus wrote:
That's funny to me. I don't advocate domestic violence and I'm glad that things turned out the way they did in this case, but people REALLY need to stop and contemplate the significance of living with a device that's effectively an always on surveillance system that's not beholden to any sort of real oversight or transparency.

Indeed. Just in general, you need to be careful what you say around a device that can have access to your credit card information or your phone.

It worked out this time, but I foresee such devices causing massive difficulties. Especially once they get "smarter". 2 kids playing around in the kitchen could lead to the device calling the police because it thinks there is a struggle. Sarcasm. etc...

**Desubot**

Make sure your kids never ask Alexa about the song digger digger