Concise Summary:
Amazon is discontinuing a privacy feature on Echo devices, starting March 28th, allowing for local processing of Alexa requests and preventing recordings from being sent to the cloud. This change will enable Amazon’s new subscription assistant, Alexa+, to leverage generative AI features that rely on the company’s secure cloud infrastructure. Despite marketing Alexa+ as a more advanced voice assistant with features like Alexa Voice ID, this decision removes user choice regarding privacy. The move raises concerns about data security and transparency, particularly given Amazon’s history of mishandling personal recordings. This policy change impacts all Echo users, even those who don’t use the subscription-based Alexa+.
Key Points:
- Here are five key points from the article:.
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- Amazon will discontinue its “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” feature on Echo devices starting March 28th.
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- This change is being made to support Alexa+'s generative AI features, which require processing power in Amazon’s cloud.
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- The removal of the local processing capability for voice recordings affects all Echo users, not just those subscribing to Alexa+.
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- The new feature allows Alexa+ to recognize different voices more accurately, but also eliminates a privacy-focused option for all Echo users.
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- Amazon has previously been accused of mishandling voice recording data, which raises concerns about user privacy and the potential for misuse of their recordings.
Archive Links:
12ft: https://12ft.io/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/everything-you-say-to-your-echo-will-be-sent-to-amazon-starting-on-march-28/
archive.org: Everything you say to your Echo will be sent to Amazon starting on March 28 - Ars Technica
archive.is: https://archive.is/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/everything-you-say-to-your-echo-will-be-sent-to-amazon-starting-on-march-28/
archive.ph: https://archive.ph/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/everything-you-say-to-your-echo-will-be-sent-to-amazon-starting-on-march-28/
archive.today: https://archive.today/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/everything-you-say-to-your-echo-will-be-sent-to-amazon-starting-on-march-28/
Original Link: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/everything-you-say-to-your-echo-will-be-sent-to-amazon-starting-on-march-28/
User Message: Everything you say to your Echo will be sent to Amazon starting on March 28 - Ars Technica
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