Alexa AI - all your Echo data are ours

[Uncle Robin]

Everything you say to your Echo will be sent to Amazon starting on March 28
Amazon is killing a privacy feature to bolster Alexa+, the new subscription assistant.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025...g-on-march-28/

[Aleron Ives]

Wasn't that already the case?

[DNSB]

If I recall correctly, Alexa could do some stuff locally without have to send data to/from Amazon.

[Aleron Ives]

Of course, you have no proof of that other than Amazon's word that it's being done locally and that the data isn't saved and sent to Amazon at some later date.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by DNSB

If I recall correctly, Alexa could do some stuff locally without have to send data to/from Amazon.

That's wat the article said - that users who had opted out of some data being sent to Amazon servers in the past were notified that they were losing that option. I don't use any Voice Assistants, but thought the article might be of interest and/or relevance to some.

[John F]

From the article:

Everything you say to your Echo will be sent to Amazon starting on March 28

Starting on March 28, recordings of everything command spoken to the Alexa living in Echo speakers and smart displays will automatically be sent to Amazon and processed in the cloud.

To me, these sound like contradictory statements. To me, it may be that only recordings that start with "Alexa, ..." will be sent to Amazon?

Edit: Or maybe they are the same, "Everything you say to your Echo " probably means you have to address the Echo ("Alexa, ...") before a recording is sent.

[j.p.s]

This really called for the title: "All you say are belong to us"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_yo...e_belong_to_us

[DiapDealer]

I've always assumed everything I've said to my Echos were sent to Amazon. They won't tell me the time without an Internet connection.

[Graham44]

Originally Posted by John F

From the article:


To me, these sound like contradictory statements. To me, it may be that only recordings that start with "Alexa, ..." will be sent to Amazon?

Edit: Or maybe they are the same, "Everything you say to your Echo " probably means you have to address the Echo ("Alexa, ...") before a recording is sent.

I've never had an Alexa or any smart speaker but I thought you had to say 'Alexa' every time you wanted it to do anything? If you don't say 'Alexa' how would it know you are speaking to it? (genuine question, as I say I've never owned a smart speaker so don't know)

[John F]

Originally Posted by Graham44

I've never had an Alexa or any smart speaker but I thought you had to say 'Alexa' every time you wanted it to do anything? If you don't say 'Alexa' how would it know you are speaking to it? (genuine question, as I say I've never owned a smart speaker so don't know)

That is dilemma.

Is everything an Echo hears sent up to Amazon, or only the things that begin with "Alexa, ".

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

This really called for the title: "All you say are belong to us"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_yo...e_belong_to_us

That was the inspiration for my choice of title, then I decided to delight any old-school pedants instead.

[Graham44]

Originally Posted by John F

That is dilemma.

Is everything an Echo hears sent up to Amazon, or only the things that begin with "Alexa, ".

That's the main reason I would never have a smart speaker or anything of the like. Could you imagine if someone had said to big corporations 50 years go 'in the future you can have a spy in many households listening to everything they say', they would have been salivating at the prospect.

Both my nephews have one, but after talking to my oldest nephew, introducing him to Linux (haven't managed to convert him over yet), talking about privacy, data collection etc, I've noticed he's switched off his Alexa and stuck it in his wardrobe - a small win

I always work on the assumption if big business has the ability to do something that benefits them, they will, so yes I bet it's listening all the time.

[DiapDealer]

I doubt even a company as evil and satanic as Amazon would be willing to open themselves up to the lawsuits an always listening/sending device would bring down upon them. They'd already be out of business. It's not as if a ToS would exempt them from wire tapping laws.

[Graham44]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I doubt even a company as evil and satanic as Amazon would be willing to open themselves up to the lawsuits an always listening/sending device would bring down upon them. They'd already be out of business. It's not as if a ToS would exempt them from wire tapping laws.

Genuine question - if Alexa isn't always listening how does it respond when you say 'Alexa'?

Surely at the end of the day in very simplified terms Alexa is just a microphone connected to essentially a small computer thats connected to the internet which is operated by voice. Saying 'Alexa' is the vocal equivalent of pushing a wake up button, so it must be constantly listening for you to say this surely? Personally I don't understand enough about how the technology works to trust it and the fact Amazon is in on the act gives me even more reason to distrust it, and the fact that Google also has one just seals the deal for me not getting one

And the laws covering eves dropping on conversations only work if we assume everyone has to follow the same laws.

[DiapDealer]

Always waiting for a command <> always sending. It's pretty simple.

I don't hear too many Apple haters up in arms about what Siri's up to before users say "Hey..."
People hate Google, but nobody seems to be pretending that Android phones are sending snore samples to Mountain View while users sleep without an "Okay..."

Originally Posted by Graham44

And the laws covering eves dropping on conversations only work if we assume everyone has to follow the same laws.

You're right. It IS different. A corporation would actually get in more trouble by putting an always-recording eavesdropping device in millions of homes than you or I would by putting one in one home.

The notion that Echo devices are an always-on, direct conduit to Amazon for anything said within earshot is quite silly (and just a tad tinfoil-hat-wearing).