Amazon’s Controversial Change to Echo’s Privacy Settings Takes Effect Soon

Last week, Amazon sent an email to select Echo users, warning they must now consent to having their Alexa voice recordings sent to the company’s cloud for processing. The email was sent to users with the Do Not Send Voice Recordings setting enabled on their Echo speaker or smart display, which ensured their commands are processed locally on the device; however, starting March 28, this setting will no longer be available, and all recordings will be processed at Amazon data centres, the company confirmed to TechRepublic.

On the cutoff date, any Echo that still has this setting enabled will automatically switch to Don’t Save Recordings, meaning voice commands will be transmitted to Amazon’s cloud for processing but deleted afterward. Any previously saved voice recordings will also be deleted, and Alexa’s voice ID — a feature that recognises individual users’ voices to provide personalised responses — will be disabled.

In its email, Amazon stated the decision to discontinue the Do Not Send Voice Recordings setting was made to “expand Alexa’s capabilities with generative AI features that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud.” This indicates that Amazon is collecting more voice data to enhance AI training and improve its smart speaker technology.

GenAI and the push for more voice data

TechRepublic reached out to Amazon for confirmation, and a spokesperson returned a boilerplate statement saying the company is “focusing on the privacy tools and controls that our customers use most and work well with generative AI experiences.”

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This news came just a few weeks after the unveiling of Alexa+, an AI-powered version of Amazon’s digital assistant. Set to launch this month, Alexa+ will take in data from a user’s home cameras, emails, personal calendars, and more to provide intelligent responses.

The Amazon Devices department, which focuses on Alexa-powered hardware, has not been profitable in recent years, reportedly losing $25 billion between 2017 and 2021, according to The Wall Street Journal. Competing with Apple’s Siri, Google’s Gemini, and ChatGPT’s voice capabilities could be key to Amazon’s long-term survival in the smart assistant market.

Amazon’s troubled history with privacy concerns

The email sent to Echo users stressed voice recordings will be encrypted while in transit, and that the Amazon cloud was “designed with layers of security protections to keep customer information safe.” Given Amazon’s track record on voice command privacy, some users may be uneasy with the new settings.

In 2023, Amazon agreed to pay $25 million in civil penalties for indefinitely storing children’s Alexa recordings, violating child privacy laws. That same year, Amazon’s Ring was fined $5.8 million after an investigation revealed employees and contractors had unrestricted access to customers’ private video footage.

Amazon also faced backlash for quietly storing Alexa recordings by default until a U.S. Senator publicly questioned Jeff Bezos about the practice — five years after the first Echo was released.

Prior to the change, the Do Not Send Voice Recordings setting was only available to U.S.-based users with an Echo Dot (4th Gen), Echo Show 10, or Echo Show 15 set to English. Despite affecting a limited number of users, those who are especially security-conscious and use their devices solely for basic, offline activities may see this as a privacy compromise after purchasing a product they considered aligned with their security needs.