Report: Amazon Considered Letting Alexa Track Your Children

It was called “Seeker” and would have allowed you to monitor your child at all times.

Privacy advocates don’t like the idea of an internet-connected microphone in their homes. But, there is a chance it could have been much worse. There is evidence that Amazon was looking to add child tracking functionality.

Amazon Alexa: Amazon Alexa is almost a helicopter parent

Bloomberg uncovered this information, and it was attributed to Bloomberg. Bloomberg documents supposedly described a concept that Amazon did not follow up on.

Bloomberg claims the project was originally called “Seeker” by Amazon and first appeared on its research and development table in mid-2019. The Seeker would be a wearable device for children aged 4-12 that would use voice commands.

The GPS chip in this wearable will allow Amazon to track your child’s location at all times. Parents could communicate with their children or track them via the wearable device if they were concerned.

Amazon wanted to make it easier by encouraging your child to wear a tracking device.

The Seeker was to be sold by the e-commerce giant for $99 and include wireless connectivity and a year’s subscription to FreeTime Unlimited. Instead, kids+ has since been rebranded. A subscription costs $2.99 per month to access books and movies, TV shows, apps, and games targeted at children. Parents can also set screen limits and filter content according to their child’s age.

The Seeker was supposed to be released in 2020. However, no such device was ever released. Bloomberg notes that Amazon did not abandon the idea. All it knows is that Amazon had once considered Seeker.

Bloomberg also spoke out about a partnership between Amazon, Disney, and others to create a smart band for children. Bloomberg calls it “the Magic Band” and notes the similarity in the name to the MagicBand tracking MagicBand used by the entertainment giant at its theme parks. However, it is not known if the Magic Band uses Seeker technology or any other tracking.

Alexa, are my children up to no good again?

Amazon’s Seeker project is still not known. However, we don’t yet know if they have scrapped it completely or just put it aside. So we’ll need to keep an eye on Amazon and search for any future Seeker-like products.

While it’s easy for people to point fingers at Amazon and child-tracking GPS technology, this technology is not new. Many gadgets can help parents locate their children.