Amazon to Let Customers Sue After Thousands of Alexa Complaints
- Previously customers had to pursue claims in arbitration
- Third-party sellers on the web store still can’t sue Amazon
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Amazon.com Inc. has stopped requiring customers to pursue claims in arbitration -- rather than a court of law -- after tens of thousands of people inundated the company with complaints that the Alexa digital assistant was improperly collecting voice recordings.
Amazon’s terms of service, which govern everything from buying products on the company’s web store to using its consumer gadgets, now lets customers file class-action suits against the company in state or federal court. Previously claimants had to enter arbitration as individuals. All cases must be filed in King County, Washington, where Amazon is based, according to rules that were last updated on May 3.