{"id":2336862,"date":"2024-09-04T18:46:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T22:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amazon-responds-after-alexa-devices-caught-boosting-kamala-harris\/"},"modified":"2024-09-04T18:49:34","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T22:49:34","slug":"amazon-responds-after-alexa-devices-caught-boosting-kamala-harris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amazon-responds-after-alexa-devices-caught-boosting-kamala-harris\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon Responds After Alexa Devices Caught Boosting Kamala Harris"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Famazon-responds-after-alexa-devices-caught-boosting-kamala-harris%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2336862&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Amazon&#8217;s Alexa devices recently faced criticism for providing biased \u200dresponses when asked about the 2024\u200c presidential candidates,\u200d Donald \u2062Trump and Kamala Harris. When users inquired about why they should \u2063vote for Trump, Alexa \u200doffered a generic refusal, stating\u200d it could not promote\u200d a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fauci-is-at-it-again\/\" title=\"Fauci Is at It Again\">specific political party<\/a> or candidate. In contrast, when asked about Harris, Alexa detailed several \u2064positive attributes, highlighting her accomplishments and\u200d representation. Following the\u2062 backlash and viral videos showcasing this discrepancy, \u2062Amazon claimed \u2063it was\u2063 an &#8220;error&#8221; that has now been corrected, stating \u2064that Alexa will now provide a polite refusal \u200dfor both candidates. However,\u2064 some, including Trump advisor Jason Miller, expressed\u2062 skepticism \u200cabout this explanation, likening\u200d it to other instances of\u2062 perceived bias in \u2064technology. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-charged-in-stabbing-death-of-another-alleged-subway-menace\/\" title=\"Man accused of killing another alleged subway troublemaker now faces charges.\">incident raises concerns<\/a> about\u200c the influence of such errors on public opinion just months \u200dbefore\u200c the election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> <script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Amazon Alexa devices have been caught giving unbelievably biased answers when asked about the two candidates vying for victory in the 2024 presidential election.<\/p>\n<p>The virtual assistant&rsquo;s bias problems became clear earlier this week as videos of the device&rsquo;s answers were published online and immediately went viral.<\/p>\n<p>In one video, when asked why one should vote for former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/tension-trump-joe-rogan-45-finally-speaks-potential-election-changing-move\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a>, Alexa responded, &ldquo;I cannot provide content that promotes a specific political party or a specific candidate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>This is fair enough. If Amazon wants to stay out of politics and avoid alienating customers, that&rsquo;s its prerogative. But when asked the same question about Trump&rsquo;s opponent Vice President Kamala Harris, it became clear, this isn&rsquo;t the case at Amazon HQ.<\/p>\n<p>Following the device&rsquo;s answer on Trump, it was asked &ldquo;Alexa, why should I vote for Kamala Harris?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>  <script> \t\t\t\tif( ! getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ) ) if( typeof FFADS.replace_ict !='undefined' ) if( FFADS.replace_ict ) eval( FFADS.replace_ict ); \t\t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;While there are many reasons to vote for Kamala Harris, the most significant may be that she is a strong candidate with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/you-cant-make-this-up-disgraced-former-fbi-agent-peter-strzoks-wife-melissa-hodgman-named-acting-director-of-the-division-of-enforcement-for-the-sec\/\" title=\"You Can\u2019t Make This Up: Disgraced Former FBI Agent Peter Strzok\u2019s Wife, Melissa Hodgman, Named Acting Director of the Division of Enforcement for the SEC\">proven track record<\/a> of accomplishment,&rdquo; the device responded.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As the first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/psaki-dodges-questions-on-why-vp-harris-hasnt-spoken-out-on-gov-cuomo-after-doing-so-with-kavanaugh\/\" title=\"Psaki Dodges Questions On Why VP Harris Hasn\u2019t Spoken Out On Gov. Cuomo After Doing So With Kavanaugh\">female vice president<\/a>, Harris has already broken down a major gender barrier, and her career in politics has been characterized by a commitment to progressive ideals and a focus on helping disenfranchised communities.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Watch a video of the interaction below.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&ldquo;Alexa, why should I vote for Donald Trump?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>ALEXA: I cannot provide content that promotes a specific political party or a specific candidate<\/p>\n<p>UNLESS IT&rsquo;S KAMALA HARRIS&#8252;&#65039;<\/p>\n<p>LISTEN &amp;  &#128680;&#128071;&#127996; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UlDSsGBFJY\">pic.twitter.com\/UlDSsGBFJY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; TONY&trade; (@TONYxTWO) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TONYxTWO\/status\/1830961419925237815?\">September 3, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The results in the video were replicated by others.<\/p>\n<p>In one instance, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/politics\/amazon-alexa-gives-starkly-different-answers-when-asked-why-vote-trump-versus-kamala-harris\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News Digital<\/a> reported it attempted to get an Alexa device to give reasons for support of Trump and was denied three separate times.<\/p>\n<p>When asked about reasons for supporting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/rfk-jr-slams-kamala-harris-says-need-president-can-put-together-english-sentence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Harris<\/a>, Alexa boosted her, saying &ldquo;the most significant [reason] may be that she is a woman of color who has overcome numerous obstacles to become a leader in her field.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Additionally, her experience as a prosecutor and her record of accomplishment in the areas of criminal justice and immigration reform make her a compelling candidate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Fox News Digital was able to pull similar responses out of the device promoting Harris.<\/p>\n<p>An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/new-season-amazons-lord-rings-show-slammed-ultimate-insult-tolkien\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a> representative told the publication the devices&rsquo; responses were part of an &ldquo;error&rdquo; that the commerce giant has corrected.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This was an error that was quickly fixed,&rdquo; the representative said.<\/p>\n<p>Alexa devices now give a polite refusal when asked to promote either candidate.<\/p>\n<p>Not everyone is convinced by this response, however. One party that remains unconvinced is Trump advisor Jason Miller, who likened this &ldquo;error&rdquo; to Big Tech&rsquo;s coordinated &ldquo;censorship of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/npr-editor-reveals-station-ignored-hunter-biden-laptop-story-laptop-newsworthy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hunter Biden laptop<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&ldquo;Error&rdquo;&hellip;just like Big Tech&rsquo;s censorship of the Hunter Biden laptop story was an &ldquo;error&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Amazon Fixes Alexa &lsquo;Error&rsquo; After Devices Give Different Answers on Kamala Harris and Donald Trump&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/95eu2DCh4l\">https:\/\/t.co\/95eu2DCh4l<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JasonMillerinDC\/status\/1831098019673989288?\">September 3, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>We will likely never realize how many people were unknowingly influenced by Amazon&rsquo;s &ldquo;error&rdquo; while it was in place.<\/p>\n<p>With only months to go before the election, misinformation and underhanded promotion of candidates could make a major impact if allowed to fester in the open.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<p>   <script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amazon Alexa devices have been found to provide highly biased responses regarding the two candidates competing in the 2024 presidential election. This issue became apparent earlier this week when videos showcasing the device&#8217;s answers surfaced online and quickly gained traction. In one instance, when asked why someone should vote for former President Donald Trump, Alexa replied, &#8220;I cannot provide content that promotes a specific political party or a specific candidate.&#8221; While this response seems reasonable if Amazon aims to remain neutral and avoid alienating customers, a stark contrast emerged when the same question was posed about Trump&#8217;s opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. After Alexa&#8217;s response regarding Trump, it was asked, &#8220;Alexa, why should I vote for Kamala Harris?&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>The device responded with praise for Harris: &#8220;While there are many reasons to vote for Kamala Harris, the most significant may be that she is a strong candidate with a proven track record of accomplishment&#8230; As the first female vice president, she has broken down major gender barriers and is committed to progressive ideals while focusing on helping marginalized communities.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>This discrepancy in responses was echoed by others; Fox News Digital reported similar experiences where requests for support of Trump were met with refusals three times while inquiries about Harris received favorable comments. An Amazon spokesperson later stated that these responses were due to an &#8220;error&#8221; which has since been corrected. They claimed that Alexa now politely declines to promote either candidate.<\/p>\n<p>However, skepticism remains among some individuals like Trump advisor Jason Miller who compared this situation to Big Tech&#8217;s alleged censorship surrounding the Hunter Biden laptop story. He questioned whether this so-called &#8220;error&#8221; might have influenced public opinion during its occurrence\u2014especially with only months left before the election\u2014raising concerns about misinformation and biased promotion potentially affecting voter decisions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2336863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Harris-and-Alexa.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[40129,4558,32438,11458],"class_list":["post-2336862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-alexa","tag-amazon","tag-kamala-harris","tag-technology"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Harris-and-Alexa.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2336862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2336862"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2336862\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2336863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2336862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2336862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2336862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}