Amazon Keeps Alexa Child Privacy Law Case in Federal Court

Amazon.com Inc. convinced the Central District of California that a class action alleging its Alexa voice-activated system in Echo and other devices violates state child privacy laws belongs in federal court.

The action isn’t “truly local” in a way that precludes federal jurisdiction, the court said.

“As of January 2019, over 100 million devices containing Alexa had been sold nationwide and there is no suggestion that Amazon’s recording was confined to California,” it said.

The plaintiff sued in state court alleging Amazon and subsidiary A2z Development, which developed the technology, violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act by recording minors ...