Many Alexa users may not be aware of the fact that Amazon Alexa recordings can be accessed by employees at Amazon. They do this with the purpose of improving the voice recognition ability of this smart assistant.
There are many stories doing rounds that Retail Giant Amazon is paying people to listen to the Alexa recordings of its users. There are stories also heard that they are using those recordings in multiple ways.
Amazon From Listening To Your Alexa Recordings
On the one hand, Amazon says that they use their users’ voice recordings to improve Alexa experience but on the other hand they say that they take their users’ privacy very seriously. If you are just looking to get an understanding of what’s happening, why it is a concern and how you can stop that, then you have come to the right spot. In this article, we will guide you with the measure that you can take to prevent Alexa to share your voice recordings with Amazon. Let’s read it…
Amazon Alexa starts recording only once it hears the ‘Wake’ Word. After that, it sends the recording to its cloud to process your request. The objective of the Wake Word is to let your Amazon Alexa device know that you want it to act on your command. But we would like to tell you that Alexa can listen only when the light ring is lit. Once it detects the wake word, the blue ring lights up, and the device begins communicating with the central processing on the platform. This is where the “intelligence” of the device begins and it construes the commands you are giving it to act.
Your privacy is very critical and as an Alexa user, you should know how to protect it. These devices are to make our life easier and you should know how to get the best out of these devices and take full control over them.
Here are the steps that you can follow to stop Amazon from listening to your Alexa Recordings:-
- Go to the “Alexa app”
- Open the menu bar and select the “Setting” option located at the bottom of the menu.
- In the settings, choose “Alexa Account” and click on “Alexa Privacy” option.
- Here you can tell Amazon that you don’t want your voice recordings to be used for R&D purposes. In the “Alexa Privacy” look for the option named as “Manage How Your Data Improves Alexa” and click on it.
- Now, deselect the two boxes here on this page – “Help develop New Features” and “Use Message to Improve Transcriptions”. By doing this, you will prevent Alexa from sending your recorded conversation to Amazon.
Other ways to increase Privacy on Your Amazon Alexa Device
There is a difference between the question on your privacy and how much you are getting monitor. In order to protect your privacy, you can take other measures to increase your privacy on your Alexa device. Below are some measures that you can opt for in order to increase your privacy on such smart devices like Alexa.
Mute Your Device:
This is one of the easiest ways to ensure your privacy. The Amazon Echo device has a mute button near the top of the device. You can press this button to mute your device and to make certain that no one is listening to your In-home conversations.
Clear the conversation history:
Amazon Alexa stores every conversation you have with Alexa in its server. You can always review your activities and recordings done by Alexa in the Alexa app. You can delete the conversation history by going to the ‘Setting’ section in your Alexa app.
Audible alerts:
You can set an audio alert so that whenever your Alexa device starts recording your conversation, you may be notified with a sound notification. If you do not opt for an audio alarm option, whenever your device starts recording, the only signal you can get is by light flashing. But this indicator can be miss very easily.
Use a strong password:
There are chances that apart from Amazon employees other third parties may have access to your conversations so it is very crucial to secure your Alexa device. You can choose a strong and unique password for your Alexa account while making it tough for others to access your machine remotely.
Unplug your device:
This is another best option to secure your private conversations. Whenever you have your private conversations, consider unplugging your Alexa device. This way you can eliminate all the possibilities of your conversations getting record.
Final words
We hope that this article will be helpful if you are an Alexa user and concerned about your privacy. Have you any questions in your mind or need any assistance, get in touch with our Alexa expert team to solve your queries. Give us a call on our Alexa Helpline Number or chat online with one of our Alexa customer service expert.
