Amazon ends privacy feature that let Echo users opt out of sending recordings to company
Amazon has announced that it will be discontinuing a little-used privacy feature on its Echo smart speaker that allowed some users to prevent their voice commands from being sent to the company’s cloud.
Starting on March 28, Amazon will be ending the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” option, which previously allowed audio to be processed locally on the device instead of being sent to Amazon’s cloud.
In an email sent to customers who had been using this feature, Amazon explained that the decision was made in order to support Alexa’s expanding capabilities, particularly with generative artificial intelligence features that require cloud processing.
Although this change may raise concerns for privacy-conscious users, the feature was not widely used or available. It was only compatible with three devices – the 4th generation Echo Dot, the Echo Show 10, and the Echo Show 15 – and only for customers in the U.S. with devices set to English. Amazon stated that less than 0.03% of customers utilized this feature.
Users still have the option to prevent Alexa from saving voice recordings. Those who were using the “Do Not Send” feature as of March 28 will automatically be switched to the “Don’t save recordings” option.
Amazon reassured customers that their privacy and data security remain a top priority. The company is focused on providing privacy tools and controls that align with customers’ preferences and support the advanced AI experiences that rely on Amazon’s secure cloud processing.
Originally Published:
