Amazon is discontinuing a rarely used privacy feature that allowed some Echo smart speaker users to prevent their voice commands from being sent to the company’s cloud. Starting March 28, the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” option, which processed audio locally on the device instead of in the cloud, will no longer be supported. In a communication to customers utilizing this feature, Amazon explained that the decision aligns with its expansion of Alexa’s capabilities using generative artificial intelligence, which relies on cloud processing.
“The Alexa experience is designed to protect our customers’ privacy and keep their data secure, and that’s not changing. We’re focusing on the privacy tools and controls that our customers use most and work well with generative AI experiences that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud,” Amazon stated.
Amazon discontinues Echo privacy option
The feature was not widely used, being available only on three devices: the 4th generation Echo Dot, the Echo Show 10, and the Echo Show 15, for users in the U.S. with their devices set to English. According to Amazon, less than 0.03% of customers utilized it. Nonetheless, users will still have the ability to stop Alexa from saving voice recordings.
Those who were using the “Do Not Send” feature will be automatically switched to the “Don’t save recordings” option after March 28. Amazon assures customers that its commitment to privacy remains strong, despite the shift in how voice command data is handled with the integration of more advanced AI capabilities.
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