Talking Tech: Own an Alexa or Ring device? You should read this

The FTC reached a settlement with Amazon requiring the owners of Alexa and Ring to pay more than $30 million in consumer refunds and fines.

Advertisement Read in browser Read in browser Talking Tech Thu Jun 1 2023 Brett Molina |  Consumer Tech Reporter @brettmolina23 Happy first day of June, Talking Tech readers! Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is right around the corner, and summer weather is approaching. It's Brett Molina keeping cool and dishing out more tech news. If you own an Alexa or Ring device, you should definitely read this. The Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement with Amazon requiring the owners of Alexa and Ring to pay more than $30 million in consumer refunds and fines for violating customer privacy. The FTC claims Amazon didn't delete the voice data of children at parents' request, and kept the recordings indefinitely to refine its algorithm. The agency also claims Ring - the maker of those doorbells you likely keep seeing pop up in your neighborhood - allowed employees to access customers' private videos and exposed them to hackers. The settlements still need to be approved by a federal court. Once cleared, consumers who own specific Alexa or Ring devices could get some money back. Stay tuned. What else happened in tech? A dire warning Artificial intelligence could one day cause human extinction, center for AI safety warns Nvidia enters new territory: The chipmaker just joined the trillion dollar market cap club Photoshop is adding AI: Does this mean your photos will soon look better? Slang pop quiz: Do you know what 'MBN' means? Thursday tech tip Now that seemingly every service is available in subscription form, it's become a nightmare trying to keep track of all the monthly fees we're racking up. Here's how to choose which subscriptions to keep or cancel. One more thing Frankly, every day should be National Donut Day. Officially, it's June 2. If you're looking for some free donuts or maybe a discount on breakfast, these are all the places with deals Friday. I, for one, look forward to my free Boston cream donut tomorrow. Thanks for reading! See you next week. Too many paid subscriptions? How to decide which apps to pay for Netflix or Hulu? When it comes to apps, quality, value and preference matter. How to figure out which apps are worth paying for and which are not. READ MORE Advertisement Amazon to pay over $30 million for Alexa, Ring alleged privacy violations Amazon will pay more than $30 million for violating the privacy of customers who own Alexa and Ring devices under an FTC settlement filed Wednesday. READ MORE Artificial intelligence threatens extinction, experts say in new warning Worries about artificial intelligence systems outsmarting humans and running wild have intensified with the rise of a new generation of highly capable AI chatbots such as ChatGPT. READ MORE Photoshop is getting AI. Will your photos get better? I want a tech tool that can make my iPhone photos look like a pro shot and edited them. Firefly's AI is not there yet. Here's what it can do. READ MORE How AI propelled chipmaker Nvidia to the trillion dollar club Nvidia has seen its stock price soar in recent months as more companies look to expand their AI offerings. READ MORE Advertisement Sign up for the news you want Exclusive newsletters are part of your subscription, don't miss out! We're always working to add benefits for subscribers like you. SEE ALL NEWSLETTERS ➔ SEE ALL NEWSLETTERS ➔ Newsletters   |    eNewspaper   |   Crosswords Follow Us Problem viewing email? View in browser Unsubscribe  •   Manage Newsletters  •  Terms of Service  •   Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights  •  Privacy Notice  •   Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy  •  Feedback