Amazon is discontinuing a little-used privacy feature that allowed some Echo users to keep their voice recordings from being sent to the company’s cloud.
Starting March 28, the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” option will no longer be available, Amazon informed affected users via email. The feature, which allowed voice commands to be processed locally on devices instead of Amazon's servers, was only available on three Echo models—the 4th generation Echo Dot, Echo Show 10, and Echo Show 15—limited to U.S. users with English settings. Less than 0.03% of customers used it, Amazon said.
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The company cited the expansion of Alexa’s generative AI capabilities, which require cloud processing, as the reason for discontinuing the feature. However, users can still prevent Alexa from saving their voice recordings. Those who had opted into the “Do Not Send” setting will be automatically switched to the “Don’t save recordings” option.
Amazon emphasized its commitment to privacy, stating: “The Alexa experience is designed to protect our customers’ privacy and keep their data secure. We’re focusing on the privacy tools and controls that our customers use most and work well with generative AI experiences.”
Source: With input from agency