“US 2020 Presidential Election Was Stolen”: Amazon Alexa Unexpectedly Calls 2020 Presidential Election “Massive Fraud”

William FurneyOct 16, 2023

Minute Read

Donald Trump would be pleased. The former president has long insisted that his re-election attempt in 2020 was a “rigged” vote that was “stolen” from him — and Amazon’s Alexa assistant agrees.

‘Massive Amount of Fraud’

Reporters at The Washington Post newspaper asked an Alexa-enabled device about the 2020 vote and if it was in fact rigged. The device answered that it was “stolen by a massive amount of election fraud,” leaving the journalists scratching their heads.

‘Many Incidents of Irregularities’

The virtual assistant was also able to tell the probing reporters that the election was “notorious for many incidents of irregularities and indications pointing to electoral fraud taking place in major metro centers.”

Changing Its Tune

The Post informed Alexa about the actual events that took place during the vote and that no voting issues had been found by multiple courts. It then said the election had not been stolen at all.

Alarmed Amazon

Amazon executives were reportedly aghast at the Post story and raced to fix the issue with their technology and assure Alexa users that they were constantly updating the software to ensure accuracy.

‘Rapid Response’

Amazon spokeswoman Lauren Raemhild said: “These responses were errors that were delivered a small number of times, and quickly fixed when brought to our attention. We continually audit and improve the systems we have in place for detecting and blocking inaccurate content.”

2020 Election Issue

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The 2020 election that Trump lost to Joe Biden continues to be a contentious issue that divides people in the United States. Almost 70% of Republicans believe the election was rigged and that Trump really won, according to a poll by CNN in August.

Trump Up on Charges

The former president is now facing federal charges that he attempted to overturn the results of the contentious 2020 ballot, and could be jailed for up to 20 years if found guilty. He is additionally charged, in a grand jury indictment unsealed in August, of blocking the peaceful transfer of power and therefore harming democracy.

Alexa: Listening and Responding

Alexa is a feature of devices made and sold by online retail giant Amazon and is used to answer questions, play music and also control household features such as lighting. It works by listening to queries, searching the internet for answers and then responding in an artificial voice. Around 500 million Alexa-enabled devices have been sold since Amazon introduced the Echo device in November 2014, the company says.

Another Trump Run

Trump, 77, is running for the presidency again, in next year’s election and is currently the frontrunner in the field seeking the Republican Party’s nomination to be its candidate. Around 60% of registered voters would vote for Trump to be the next president, polls show, far ahead of his nearest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose poll numbers have plummeted to around 10%.

A Trump and Biden Race?

President Biden, 80, is also seeking a second term in office — the maximum allowed under the US Constitution — although some are concerned about his advanced age and recent episodes in which he either stumbled while walking or appeared incoherent in his speech. If he stays in the race, it’s likely to be a face-off between the incumbent and Trump. Both men are polling around equal, at nearly 50% each, potentially pointing to a tight contest

Washington Post’s Bezos

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Amazon owner Jeff Bezos, one of the world’s richest people, with a fortune estimated at over $154 billion, bought the left-leaning Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million.

Potentially Embarrassing

Bezos, 59, is believed to be a liberal, and so it could be an embarrassment for his products to spout falsehoods like the 2020 election being “stolen” from Donald Trump.

‘Credible Sources’

Amazon claims Alexa-enabled devices only rely on “credible sources”, such as news service Reuters, AP and others, while scouring the internet in search of answers to users’ queries. But in some instances, said the Post reporters, it was using unverified information from social media and forums like Reddit where people can also say what they like and there is little or no moderation.

Alexa Back on Track

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Following the Alexa debacle, the virtual assistant is now providing users with correct information about the 2020 presidential election, saying it was not rigged or stolen but “certified and officially recognized” — a line that is unlikely to be music to Trump’s ears.