[datenwolf]

> How is echo audio data substantially different than something like a tape recorder that was live in the man's home?

This is an interesting question that leads to (surprising?) ruling in certain jurisdictions. Take Germany for an example: The German law on telecommunication and privacy in telecommunication explicitly forbids the manufacturing, distribution and possesion of disguised recording deviced with transmission capability. Take note that it does not outlaw concealed/disguised recording deviced entirely, but is specific on the transmission capability. This law has been put into place in reaction to the massive invasions of privacy under the Nazi regime and until the iron curtain fell in the GDR by the Stasi (the agency depicted in the movie "The Life of Others").

A few weeks ago there was that case of the German Bundesnetzagentur (German equivalent to the FCC) banning a "smart doll" for that very reason. Now consider that certain variants of Amazon Echo could be mistaken for mundane wireless speakers, especially to people who are not familiar with the concept of connected devices. However the wireless transmission capability of the Echo clearly puts them into the reach of the aforementioned law, and some people actually argue, that because of that, they are in fact illegal in Germany. Now what about actual Bluetooth speakers with a microphone built-in to support speakerphone? Technically illegal, too, because one could put them in aunty's home, connected by wire to their CD player or such, yet use the bluetooth function to eavesdrop from outside the home.

On the one hand it's great to have this law in place. But on the other hand it's clearly ripe for being updated to match current technological developments.