The fly on the wall: Your Echo will send everything you say to Amazon — NO OPT-OUT

• Starting March 28, Alexa will no longer process voice requests locally on Echo devices. All voice commands will be sent to Amazon’s cloud for processing, even for users who previously opted out of cloud storage via the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” feature. This change eliminates user control over whether voice data is stored remotely.
• Amazon’s decision comes amid ongoing privacy issues, including past controversies like indefinite storage of children’s voice recordings, employee access to voice clips for training, and legal settlements over privacy violations. The shift to mandatory cloud processing raises alarms among privacy advocates and users.
• Users who choose not to save voice recordings will lose access to Voice ID, a feature enabling personalized functions like calendar sharing and music preferences. Amazon’s policy forces users to decide between retaining functionality or maintaining privacy, creating a contentious dilemma.
• The change supports Amazon’s new subscription-based Alexa+ service, which relies on cloud processing for advanced generative AI features. Amazon aims to make Alexa profitable by monetizing premium capabilities, but this strategy requires users to accept reduced privacy protections.
• Echo owners must adapt to Amazon’s new privacy policies by March 28 or consider alternatives. The shift marks the end of local processing for Alexa, highlighting the broader tech industry trend of prioritizing AI advancements over user privacy.

Amazon is rolling out its premium AI version of Alexa to Echo devices soon, and it’s bringing some major privacy changes. Starting March 28, Alexa will no longer let you process voice requests on your device locally. Instead, everything you say will be sent to Amazon’s cloud for processing, even if you previously turned off voice recordings. This move marks a significant shift in how Amazon handles user privacy, and it’s raising alarms among privacy advocates and Echo owners alike.

The end of local processing

For years, Echo users have had the option to enable a feature called “Do Not Send Voice Recordings,” which allowed Alexa to process voice commands locally on the device rather than sending them to Amazon’s servers. This feature was a privacy safeguard for those who didn’t want their conversations with Alexa stored in the cloud. But as of March 28, that option is disappearing.

In an email sent to customers, Amazon explained the change: “As we continue to expand Alexa’s capabilities with generative AI features that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud, we have decided to no longer support this feature.” The company claims that the shift is necessary to support the advanced capabilities of Alexa+, its new subscription-based AI assistant.

However, this decision means that Echo users will no longer have control over whether their voice recordings are sent to Amazon. Even if you’ve previously opted out of cloud processing,