Amazon Alexa is one of the most popular digital assistants for the smart home, but its listening habits can be worrisome. On the bright side, you can easily check and delete what Alexa has recorded.
Amazon Alexa Eavesdropping
Just recently, Amazon got in trouble when word came out that Alexa had recorded a woman's conversation and then sent it to one of her contacts without her knowledge or approval. The woman was simply talking with her husband at home, and Alexa recorded their conversation on the Echo Dot and e-mailed it to a random contact, who turned out to be working for the husband.
The recipient of the email sent a copy back to the couple, alerting them of the matter, and the couple immediately contacted Amazon asking for an explanation and a refund.
Amazon's Explanation
Amazon's engineering team said that some clues might indicate that the Echo Dot in question was modified, but didn't offer any additional information. The team also suggested that a word that sounded like "Alexa," the wake word that activates the device, as well as other commands, might have been used in the conversation, which may be why Alexa recorded and sent a copy of the conversation.
This sounds like a stretch and, if true, indicates that it would happen only in rare cases. Even so, those worried that the same might happen to them can check what conversations Alexa has recorded and delete anything they don't want stored.
How To Check And Delete What Alexa Recorded
First of all, there is indeed the possibility of accidentally triggering Alexa if the wake word is commonly used in daily conversations. Some people have changed to a common word such as "computer," for instance, which makes accidental triggers more likely.
To check what Alexa has recorded, open the app on your device, go to the menu options by tapping the top-left hamburger icon, head over to the Settings menu, then select History.
This section should contain the commands you've given Alexa and in some cases, you might see a "text not available" note. Tapping on this note will allow you to listen to what Alexa has recorded and see what triggered the Echo device to eavesdrop on that conversation.
If you don't want Alexa to have any recording of a discussion that occurred in your household, you can either delete files individually or wipe everything from the dedicated content and device management page on Amazon's website.
Keep in mind, however, that Amazon warns that deleting all recordings could affect the Alexa experience, as they help the digital assistant figure out how to best personalize everything.
