Analyzing Ad Prevalence, Characteristics, and Compliance in Alexa Skills
Aafaq Sabir, Abhinaya S.B., Dilawer Ahmed, Anupam DasNorth Carolina State
IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy 2025 · Day 3 · Mobile and Smarthome Security
The proliferation of smart voice assistants like Amazon Alexa has opened new avenues for third-party applications, known as "skills." While these skills enhance functionality, they also introduce complex challenges related to content moderation and policy compliance, particularly concerning advertisements. This talk, presented by Aafaq Sabir from North Carolina State University, delves into the critical issue of ad prevalence, characteristics, and compliance within the Amazon Alexa skill ecosystem. The core problem addressed is the dynamic nature of content served by third-party skill backend servers, which can change post-publication, potentially introducing policy-violating advertisements that Amazon's initial certification process misses.