Amazon is discontinuing a privacy feature for some Echo smart speaker users that allowed them to process voice commands locally, rather than sending them to the cloud. Starting March 28, the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” option, which kept audio processing on the device, will be retired.
In an email to customers using the feature, Amazon cited the expansion of Alexa’s capabilities with generative artificial intelligence features that require cloud-based processing as the reason for the change. While the alteration might concern privacy-conscious users, the feature was not widely utilized or accessible, limited to the 4th generation Echo Dot, the Echo Show 10, and the Echo Show 15. The feature was only available to U.S. customers with devices set to English. Amazon stated that less than 0.03% of customers used it.
Users will still be able to manage their voice recording preferences. Those who were using the “Do Not Send” feature as of March 28 will automatically be switched to the “Don’t save recordings” option, Amazon confirmed. “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 said in a statement.
