The Alexa device is handy for a variety of things. It can do anything from playing your favorite music to answering questions you don't feel like searching for yourself. However, because the device is designed to take commands from the sound of your voice, it is naturally intended always to be listening and, therefore, can record your conversations without your consent.
Everyone who purchases Alexa must consent to the fact that it could often be recording you, so it may give you more peace of mind by keeping it in the same spot you feel comfortable having company in. As unsettling as it may seem, the staff at Amazon likely hears some of the private conversations you have near your Alexa device. Amazon confirmed this as true; however, it ensured customers that the staff only listens to the conversations for research purposes to improve the device's understanding of human speech for future updates. Every member of the Alexa staff at Amazon reviews up to 1,000 audio clips per day.
Here's how to stop your Alexa from recording you at all times:
Open the Alexa app on your smartphone
Go to Settings
Select Privacy
Tap Manage Your Alexa Data
Select How Long To Save Recordings
Select Don't Save Recordings and select confirm
Scroll down to Help Improve Alexa
Go to Use of Voice Recordings and toggle it off
You can Mute Alexa Echos - the speaker or display will have a mute button that looks like the image you see in the photo below. Tap that, and a red light will appear on your device - this means Alexa will stop responding to commands.
If you want to stop Amazon and Alexa from snooping on you completely, be sure to unplug any Alexa devices when not in use. Don't forget - Alexa is always listening!
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