Legal experts say Congress and the states need to step in to protect Americans’ privacy rights from the proliferation of voice-activated personal assistant devices such as Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home, after a murder case in Arkansas raised questions about how much the devices are hearing — and whether the government can demand access to its recordings.

Prosecutors in Benton County, Arkansas, demanded Echo recordings from a home where a man was found dead in a hot tub. Prosecutors said they hoped the recording would shed light on how he died as they pursue a murder case against the homeowner.

Read the full Washington Times article here.

Alex Swoyer

The Washington Times

Originally from Texas, Alex Swoyer left the Lone Star State to attend the Missouri School of Journalism where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism with an emphasis in broadcast.

She has experience covering stories in the mid-Missouri, Houston and southwest Florida areas where she worked at local affiliate TV stations and received a First Place Mark of Excellence Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.

After graduating from law school in Florida, she decided to leave the courtroom and return to the newsroom as a legal affairs reporter for The Washington Times. She can be reached by email at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.

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