“Alexa, play Christmas songs.” This command will provide any amount in dispute under the Christmas tree. Also this year will be a lot of Amazon echo. And while the handle is a half of Germans see the assistant Alexa to see language as a practical addition to your everyday life, which can even be of the Smallest use, while others in not less than the large Lauscha.

As the Amazons speaker Echo voice was in the summer of 2015, presented, knew the debate only one topic: Why you should ask yourself constantly listening speaker in his home? From the purchase the few has held. “In Germany we have millions of customers who use an Amazon Echo,” says Dave Limp to the star. He is Amazon’s Hardware-boss-and-white as Lord of Alexa exactly how much of the Echo mitlauscht actually – and like Amazon in order to earn money.

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react to the experiences with the secret police and the Stasi Spitzelleien especially the Germans are very sensitive to the idea of being overheard, whether from companies or the state. Of constantly listening Echo is the ideal surface for the projection of these Fears. Right? “We only emphasize again that only will be saved, what follows after the word ‘Alexa’. Everything else can already connect to no one again – because it exists. Nothing is stored on the device and it is not sent to the Cloud,” says Limp. In fact, Amazon Echo listens always, only after the activation word “Alexa” to start but a Transfer on the Internet. There are then processes the commands. The audio data will be saved.

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Despite the encryption, but we are not the only ones with access to our recordings – even Amazon you can listen to at any time. “There are very few people at Amazon who can come to these requests. It is, however, very restricted, you must obtain a lot of permits,” says Limp. Usually this would happen together with the customer on Service requests. But a state Agency could request the stored Audio data. “Should the data be saved and we receive a valid court order, what happens in the USA more frequently, it is known that we fight against it. It should be a legitimate request, we have to give the data free. We do not break the law. But that is the last resort,” explained Limp Amazon’s dealing with authorities requests. The iPhone-manufacturer Apple had in the last year on this profile, requests from the FBI to court-bring this down. The Situation, however, was different: unlike Amazon, Apple has no access to the encrypted data, the group was able to so advance the technical hurdle.

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After all, it is for the customers in Amazon a way to prevent a state access: You can delete the data simply. “We have been around since the beginning the need to leave the customer in control of their data,” says Limp. “We like to have access to – encrypted securely – stored Echo-requests, because it makes the Service better, the machine Learning works better. But you can delete everything.” The customer had this Option for the Shopping history as for the Audio recordings. After Limps to information, the data are no longer for Amazon to restore them.

a use of the Capture data for advertising – a further concern of many users – don’t want to think of the group, however. “We have over 10,000 employees who work only on Alexa and not one of them works in advertising.” Although the product would be used-requests and purchases about the Echo on Amazon-recommendations, the data would never leave the group. “We have never – and will never – more, these data externally. We use it internally, to provide Features that help our customers recommendations are just one example. But we do not sell this data.”

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it was unauthorized, the question is not. Unlike its competitors, the sale of the equipment itself does not provide for full funds. “We make money when the customers use the devices. We sell virtually to the production price,” says Limp. Our use of the device brings to the group, therefore, profits. But how, exactly? On the one hand, the functioning of the music service, Amazon Music, which was loud Limp in Germany from the beginning very successful. Also, the audiobook trade on Audible will be worth it.

“And then there is, of course, Shopping.” Despite Reports that hardly a customer uses the shopping function of the echoes, wants to be the group is satisfied with the sales that have been effected. “It is really a good Start,” Limp speaks to the Reports. And then, that shopping through language is not a matter of course: “You can not even order anything. This is a challenge that brings language. We have hundreds of over hundreds of over hundreds of millions of products. The music is simple. Since there are 40 million songs, fewer artists, fewer still albums. In the case of Shopping, a lot more depends on that. You have to match size, cut, color, brand and many other metadata. But I am very positive. The Shopping, the there are already, the re-orders, shopping lists, all run very well.” And: Because of the echoes would buy, many customers are more smart household items – also at Amazon.

Whether or not Amazon will be enough this additional revenue in the future, it will show. The Echo-to-sales, the eavesdropping has not harmed the debate, however. In the run up to Christmas, so many echoes have been sold, that individual models are only from March available. In comparison to other countries, the German bought particularly like the Echo Show, the second Generation. The special feature: In contrast to the other echoes are not only the speaker and the listening microphones, but also a screen and a camera.

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By Malte Mansholt