Amazon Echo

Amazon Echo, colloquially known as Alexa, is an electronic device developed by the online store Amazon and initially released in 2014. Alexa is a voice-controlled personal assistant that responds to the owner’s voice and carries out orders such as making to-do lists, setting alarms, ordering products online, playing music, providing real-time information on weather and traffic, and controlling other smart devices in the household. Amazon has recently been criticized over privacy concerns because it was revealed that several apps can eavesdrop on their users through the Echo speaker and that audio recordings are stored and evaluated by Amazon employees. Moreover, recent studies have found that voice assistants such as Alexa and Siri reinforce gender bias because they represent an obedient female assistant or housewife.