Amazon is giving Alexa a major upgrade with a new Alexa+ AI service, which will be free for Prime users or cost $20 per month for non-Prime members. But as Amazon rolls out these new features, it’s also making changes that could impact your privacy on Echo devices.
Starting March 28th, Amazon is removing two key privacy features:
- Local Processing: Alexa requests will no longer be processed directly on your Echo device.
- “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” Option: This setting will no longer be available.
This means every command you give Alexa—even something as simple as “turn off the lights”—will be sent to Amazon’s cloud servers.
Why Is Amazon Making These Changes?
According to an email from Amazon (reported by Ars Technica), the shift is tied to Alexa’s new generative AI features, which require the power of Amazon’s cloud to work. Amazon stated:
“As we continue to expand Alexa’s capabilities with generative AI features that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud, we have decided to no longer support this feature.”
One of the flagship features of Alexa+ is Alexa Voice ID, which lets Alexa recognize who’s speaking and respond accordingly. Even if you don’t use Alexa+ or enable Voice ID, local processing is being removed for all users.
Why Are People Worried?
This change has sparked concerns about privacy. Many users are uncomfortable with the idea that Amazon will now have access to every voice command, with no option to opt out.
For Echo users, the choice is tough:
- Continue using Alexa and accept that your voice recordings will be sent to Amazon’s cloud.
- Stop using Alexa entirely, which might not be practical for those who rely on it for their smart homes.
Amazon has tried to ease concerns by saying:
- Voice recordings will be automatically deleted after processing.
- All recordings are encrypted when sent to Amazon’s servers.
However, Amazon’s track record with privacy isn’t perfect. For example:
- In 2023, Amazon paid $25 million to settle a case involving the permanent storage of children’s voice recordings and employee access to Ring camera footage.
- Reports revealed Amazon used real Alexa conversations to train its AI, which is now part of Alexa+.
- In the past, Amazon admitted employees listened to audio recordings from Alexa devices.
What Can You Do?
Unfortunately, Echo users don’t have many options. If privacy is a top concern, you might consider:
- Limiting your use of Alexa for sensitive tasks.
- Exploring alternative smart home systems that prioritize local processing and user privacy.
