[2601.04403] Balancing Usability and Compliance in AI Smart Devices: A Privacy-by-Design Audit of Google Home, Alexa, and Siri

Computer Science > Computers and Society arXiv:2601.04403 (cs) [Submitted on 7 Jan 2026 (v1), last revised 28 Feb 2026 (this version, v2)] Title:Balancing Usability and Compliance in AI Smart Devices: A Privacy-by-Design Audit of Google Home, Alexa, and Siri Authors:Trevor De Clark, Yulia Bobkova, Ajay Kumar Shrestha View a PDF of the paper titled Balancing Usability and Compliance in AI Smart Devices: A Privacy-by-Design Audit of Google Home, Alexa, and Siri, by Trevor De Clark and 1 other authors View PDF Abstract:This paper investigates the privacy and usability of AI-enabled smart devices commonly used by youth, focusing on Google Home Mini, Amazon Alexa, and Apple Siri. While these devices provide convenience and efficiency, they also raise privacy and transparency concerns due to their always-listening design and complex data management processes. The study proposes and applies a combined framework of Heuristic Evaluation, Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) Compliance Assessment, and Youth-Centered Usability Testing to assess whether these devices align with Privacy-by-Design principles and support meaningful user control. Results show that Google Home achieved the highest usability score, while Siri scored highest in regulatory compliance, indicating a trade-off between user convenience and privacy protection. Alexa demonstrated clearer task navigation but weaker transparency in data retention. Findings suggest that although youth ...