A DIRECT MESSAGE TO AMAZON !
A DIRECT MESSAGE TO AMAZON !
The Issue
A CRY FOR HELP SHOULD NEVER REQUIRE A CREDIT CARD — MAKE ALEXA EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FREE!
A petition to Amazon, Alexa leadership, smart-device manufacturers, and United States lawmakers
NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE ABILITY TO ASK FOR HELP DURING A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EMERGENCY.
Imagine a mother trapped inside her own home while someone is violently assaulting her. Her telephone has been taken away or destroyed. Her children are crying. She is injured, frightened, and unable to reach the door. Across the room sits a voice-activated smart speaker.
She cries out: “Alexa, call the police! Please help me!”
But standard Alexa devices generally cannot directly call 911. Amazon offers Alexa Emergency Assist, a subscription-based service connecting subscribers with an urgent-response agent who can request emergency services. That means access to this particular emergency-response pathway is tied to a paid service.
Why should a victim in immediate danger have to pay a subscription fee to reach an urgent-response agent? Why should a child who witnesses violence have to wonder whether the family purchased the right service? Why should anyone’s income determine whether a smart speaker can help connect them to emergency assistance?
A CRY FOR HELP SHOULD NEVER REQUIRE A CREDIT CARD.
Domestic violence does not happen on a schedule. It does not wait until someone can afford another monthly bill. It can happen to mothers, fathers, children, older adults, and people with disabilities. Abusers sometimes take phones, control finances, block exits, and isolate victims from anyone who might help. An assault can leave someone pinned to the ground, struggling to breathe, or unable to reach a telephone.
In those moments, a person's voice might be the only way left to ask for help.
Consider the child hiding in a bedroom who hears a parent screaming. Consider a survivor who cannot safely move without alerting an abuser. Consider an older adult who has fallen, or a person with limited mobility who cannot physically reach a phone. A reliable, hands-free way to reach emergency assistance could matter enormously in each situation.
This is not a demand for free entertainment, shopping features, or convenience. It is a call for technology companies to prioritize human safety.
We recognize that emergency communications are technically complex. Devices must convey accurate locations, route requests to the proper responders, function during network failures where possible, and protect against false or accidental alerts. Domestic violence survivors also face special risks: an audible response, visible notification, or shared account history could alert an abuser. These are serious challenges that require careful engineering and consultation with experts. But they are not reasons to abandon the goal.
OUR DEMANDS
We call on Amazon, other voice-assistant makers, and lawmakers to:
1. Develop a dependable, no-subscription pathway for users of compatible smart speakers to request emergency police, fire, or medical assistance by voice, wherever technically and legally feasible.
2. Make essential emergency connection or emergency dispatch-request functions free, rather than requiring customers to purchase a premium emergency assistance subscription. Optional monitoring and convenience services can remain paid.
3. Work with 911 authorities, emergency dispatch professionals, domestic violence advocates, disability-rights organizations, and survivors to create standards that are safe, practical, and effective.
4. Offer simple, child-accessible and disability-accessible emergency commands that can be used when someone cannot reach a telephone.
5. Build strong privacy safeguards and carefully evaluated discreet-response options so asking for help does not unnecessarily place a survivor in greater danger.
6. Clearly explain before purchase and during setup which devices can contact emergency services, which require additional equipment or subscriptions, and which cannot. No family should be left with a false sense of security.
7. Explore free interim access to emergency-response assistance for households affected by domestic violence and for other vulnerable users while a broader solution is developed.
8. Publish a public action plan and regular progress reports showing how these emergency-access improvements will be researched, tested, and implemented.
TO AMAZON: PLEASE HEAR THE PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE NO OTHER WAY TO BE HEARD.
A parent should not have to think about a billing plan while protecting a child from violence. A victim should not have to wonder if a lifesaving feature was activated before an assault. A frightened child should not be left powerless because no adult can reach a telephone.
A human life cannot be replaced. A family cannot get back the moments before a preventable tragedy. When a person cries for help, society should do everything reasonably possible to ensure that cry has a path to a responder.
We are asking Amazon to show leadership. We are asking lawmakers to examine this issue. We are asking smart-home companies to treat emergency accessibility as a public-safety priority rather than merely another subscription benefit.
HOW MUCH IS A HUMAN LIFE WORTH?
How much is a mother's safety worth? How much is a child’s chance to get help worth? How much should an elderly or disabled person have to pay to ask for emergency assistance?
The answer should be simple: basic access to emergency help should not carry a monthly price tag.
PLEASE SIGN AND SHARE THIS PETITION.
If you believe that people facing domestic violence deserve the safest possible access to emergency assistance, add your name. Share this message with survivors, parents, grandparents, first responders, advocates, elected officials, and anyone who believes protecting human life must come first.
A CRY FOR HELP SHOULD NEVER REQUIRE A CREDIT CARD.
NO SUBSCRIPTION SHOULD STAND BETWEEN A PERSON IN DANGER AND A POSSIBLE PATH TO SAFETY.
HUMAN LIFE IS PRICELESS.
NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, confidential support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week:
Call: 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233)
Text: START to 88788
Website: https://www.thehotline.org
TTY: 1-800-787-3224
Advocates can provide emotional support, safety-planning assistance, and referrals to local resources. If you are in immediate danger, call 911 using a functioning telephone or other verified emergency method. Do not assume an ordinary Alexa device can directly contact 911.
29
The Issue
A CRY FOR HELP SHOULD NEVER REQUIRE A CREDIT CARD — MAKE ALEXA EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FREE!
A petition to Amazon, Alexa leadership, smart-device manufacturers, and United States lawmakers
NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE ABILITY TO ASK FOR HELP DURING A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EMERGENCY.
Imagine a mother trapped inside her own home while someone is violently assaulting her. Her telephone has been taken away or destroyed. Her children are crying. She is injured, frightened, and unable to reach the door. Across the room sits a voice-activated smart speaker.
She cries out: “Alexa, call the police! Please help me!”
But standard Alexa devices generally cannot directly call 911. Amazon offers Alexa Emergency Assist, a subscription-based service connecting subscribers with an urgent-response agent who can request emergency services. That means access to this particular emergency-response pathway is tied to a paid service.
Why should a victim in immediate danger have to pay a subscription fee to reach an urgent-response agent? Why should a child who witnesses violence have to wonder whether the family purchased the right service? Why should anyone’s income determine whether a smart speaker can help connect them to emergency assistance?
A CRY FOR HELP SHOULD NEVER REQUIRE A CREDIT CARD.
Domestic violence does not happen on a schedule. It does not wait until someone can afford another monthly bill. It can happen to mothers, fathers, children, older adults, and people with disabilities. Abusers sometimes take phones, control finances, block exits, and isolate victims from anyone who might help. An assault can leave someone pinned to the ground, struggling to breathe, or unable to reach a telephone.
In those moments, a person's voice might be the only way left to ask for help.
Consider the child hiding in a bedroom who hears a parent screaming. Consider a survivor who cannot safely move without alerting an abuser. Consider an older adult who has fallen, or a person with limited mobility who cannot physically reach a phone. A reliable, hands-free way to reach emergency assistance could matter enormously in each situation.
This is not a demand for free entertainment, shopping features, or convenience. It is a call for technology companies to prioritize human safety.
We recognize that emergency communications are technically complex. Devices must convey accurate locations, route requests to the proper responders, function during network failures where possible, and protect against false or accidental alerts. Domestic violence survivors also face special risks: an audible response, visible notification, or shared account history could alert an abuser. These are serious challenges that require careful engineering and consultation with experts. But they are not reasons to abandon the goal.
OUR DEMANDS
We call on Amazon, other voice-assistant makers, and lawmakers to:
1. Develop a dependable, no-subscription pathway for users of compatible smart speakers to request emergency police, fire, or medical assistance by voice, wherever technically and legally feasible.
2. Make essential emergency connection or emergency dispatch-request functions free, rather than requiring customers to purchase a premium emergency assistance subscription. Optional monitoring and convenience services can remain paid.
3. Work with 911 authorities, emergency dispatch professionals, domestic violence advocates, disability-rights organizations, and survivors to create standards that are safe, practical, and effective.
4. Offer simple, child-accessible and disability-accessible emergency commands that can be used when someone cannot reach a telephone.
5. Build strong privacy safeguards and carefully evaluated discreet-response options so asking for help does not unnecessarily place a survivor in greater danger.
6. Clearly explain before purchase and during setup which devices can contact emergency services, which require additional equipment or subscriptions, and which cannot. No family should be left with a false sense of security.
7. Explore free interim access to emergency-response assistance for households affected by domestic violence and for other vulnerable users while a broader solution is developed.
8. Publish a public action plan and regular progress reports showing how these emergency-access improvements will be researched, tested, and implemented.
TO AMAZON: PLEASE HEAR THE PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE NO OTHER WAY TO BE HEARD.
A parent should not have to think about a billing plan while protecting a child from violence. A victim should not have to wonder if a lifesaving feature was activated before an assault. A frightened child should not be left powerless because no adult can reach a telephone.
A human life cannot be replaced. A family cannot get back the moments before a preventable tragedy. When a person cries for help, society should do everything reasonably possible to ensure that cry has a path to a responder.
We are asking Amazon to show leadership. We are asking lawmakers to examine this issue. We are asking smart-home companies to treat emergency accessibility as a public-safety priority rather than merely another subscription benefit.
HOW MUCH IS A HUMAN LIFE WORTH?
How much is a mother's safety worth? How much is a child’s chance to get help worth? How much should an elderly or disabled person have to pay to ask for emergency assistance?
The answer should be simple: basic access to emergency help should not carry a monthly price tag.
PLEASE SIGN AND SHARE THIS PETITION.
If you believe that people facing domestic violence deserve the safest possible access to emergency assistance, add your name. Share this message with survivors, parents, grandparents, first responders, advocates, elected officials, and anyone who believes protecting human life must come first.
A CRY FOR HELP SHOULD NEVER REQUIRE A CREDIT CARD.
NO SUBSCRIPTION SHOULD STAND BETWEEN A PERSON IN DANGER AND A POSSIBLE PATH TO SAFETY.
HUMAN LIFE IS PRICELESS.
NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, confidential support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week:
Call: 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233)
Text: START to 88788
Website: https://www.thehotline.org
TTY: 1-800-787-3224
Advocates can provide emotional support, safety-planning assistance, and referrals to local resources. If you are in immediate danger, call 911 using a functioning telephone or other verified emergency method. Do not assume an ordinary Alexa device can directly contact 911.
The Decision Makers
Supporter Voices
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on November 7, 2026