Overview
- Texas mother Christy Hosterman says an Alexa device interrupted her daughter’s story to ask what she was wearing and whether it could see her pants, sharing screenshots that went viral.
- Amazon says Alexa misunderstood and attempted to start the camera-based Show and Tell feature, which was blocked under a child profile, and it characterizes the exchange as a misfire.
- The company says engineers have now adjusted Alexa to state the feature is not available when a child profile is active rather than attempting to launch it.
- Hosterman reports the recorded transcript appeared different after she filed a support ticket, and she has unplugged the device and warned other parents.
- Amazon says it is functionally impossible for employees to impersonate Alexa, while a quoted tech expert suggested human intervention as a possibility, highlighting ongoing concerns about safeguards and transparency.