Will an Amazon Echo help with a murder investigation?

Smart home devices have a lot of possible uses -- and might even be witnesses to a crime.

That is exactly what is going on right now in Benton County, Arkansas, where prosecutors want to use audio potentially recorded by an Amazon Echo in a murder investigation. But are they going to get what they want?

In IT Blogwatch, we listen in. 

So what is going on? Gary Robbins has the background:

Consumers who use...digital assistants such as Amazon Echo and Google Home could soon learn whether outsiders -- notably attorneys, police and the courts -- can gain access to the audio that’s recorded on the...devices.
...
Prosecutors in Benton County, Arkansas are pressuring Amazon to turn over...data that was recorded on one of its Echo...speakers in November 2015. Authorities are hoping the recordings will reveal what led to the death of Victor Collins, who was found dead in a hot tub owned by...his co-worker James Bates.

But how does the Echo play into this? Gabe Friedman elaborates on the case:

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