Thanks to a smart speaker, police were alerted to an alleged domestic assault, authorities say

As smart home devices like the Amazon Echo and the Google Home become more and more common in the U.S., there has been a growing fear among privacy advocates about the implications of “always-on” speakers that could record illicit dealings.

However, in at least one case, a smart speaker saved the day, inadvertently causing a New Mexico man to call police as he threatened his girlfriend and her child, according to media reports.

ABC News reports that Eduardo Barros, 28, and his unidentified girlfriend were house-sitting in Tijeras, New Mexico, near Albuquerque, on July 2 when the woman received a text message.

According to KRQE, Barros saw the text message and became angry, accusing the woman of cheating on him. He then punched and kicked her, police told the station, before retrieving a gun and threatening to kill her. As he did so, however, he asked her, “Did you call the sheriff’s?”

A smart home device, initially identified as a Google Home but later updated to not say what brand it was, was hooked up to a surround-sound speaker system and recognized Barros’ words as a command and called 911, Bernalillo County Sheriff Department's spokesperson Felicia Romero told ABC.

However, Amazon representatives and other 911 organizations have cast doubt as to whether the scenario could have unfolded as it did, and recordings of the 911 call indicate that the girlfriend may have told the Amazon Echo to call 911, according to the New York Times.

Police say they responded to the call and were able to take the woman and the daughter out of the house. The girl was unharmed and the woman suffered only minor injuries and did not go to the hospital, according to ABC.

Meanwhile, a SWAT team surrounded the house for several hours before taking Barros into custody.

“The unexpected use of this new technology to contact emergency services has possibly helped save a life. This amazing technology definitely helped save a mother and her child from a very violent situation,” Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales III told ABC News.

Court records indicate that Barros is facing 14 felony charges, including aggravated battery against a household member, aggravated assault against a household member, false imprisonment and possessing a firearm despite being a convicted felon. He is currently being held without bond and first appeared in court on Wednesday.

Court records show that since 2011, Barros has been arrested for assaulting a police officer, evading arrest, possessing drug paraphernalia, shoplifting and larceny.

This story was originally published July 9, 2017 at 10:35 PM with the headline "Thanks to a smart speaker, police were alerted to an alleged domestic assault, authorities say."