Amazon’s Astro Bot Brings Privacy Concerns

Amazon’s ($AMZN@US) new Astro robot has the potential to introduce more full-scale data harvesting, according to policy analysts from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The Astro robot is available by invite only for the moment and costs $1,000. The price will jump to $1,450 when it’s released more broadly. The robot can monitor security, keep tabs on young family members and be there for whatever you might need Alexa for like voice control of your lights. The bot is operated via an app, and the app is used to drive the robot around and see what it sees. Law enforcement can already serve a search warrant on Amazon to gain access to data recorded by stationary devices like Echos and web cameras. According to Amazon’s bi-annual information request report, law enforcement around the world filed a total of 30,000 information requests with the company in the first six months of the year. If a warrant also covered an Astro bot, the bot could become a mobile surveillance for law enforcement.