Privacy Alert: Amazon's Echo Devices to Automatically Upload All Voice Data to Cloud
Privacy-conscious Amazon Echo users are about to lose a key feature that allowed local voice processing. Starting March 28, Amazon will discontinue the option to process Alexa requests locally, meaning all voice recordings will now be sent to the company's cloud servers.
In a recent email to customers who have previously enabled the "Do Not Send Voice Recordings" setting, Amazon explained the change by highlighting the expansion of Alexa's capabilities through generative AI features. The company stated that these new advanced functionalities require the processing power of Amazon's secure cloud infrastructure.
"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," the email disclosed. This decision effectively eliminates users' ability to keep their voice interactions confined to their local device.
The move signals a significant shift in Amazon's approach to voice assistant privacy, potentially raising concerns among users who value local data processing and minimal cloud interaction.