Echo users warned that starting March 28 everything you say to your device will be sent to Amazon
If you didn't think that Amazon was listening to what you have to say before then you'll certainly have your mind changed now, as a new change to Echo devices disables the ability to process requests locally.
One of Amazon's biggest pushes this year has been for Alexa+ - the new subscription-based AI upgrade to their well known companion devices - allowing for a more personalized and in-depth user experience.
This has been introduced in line with the major artificial intelligence push across almost all major tech companies in the United States, as ChatGPT-like generative AI companions are certainly all the rage.
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Unfortunately you'll be affected regardless of whether you're interested and willing to buy into Alexa+, as a controversial decision from Amazon has meant that Echo users can no longer store their audio transcripts locally.
As reported by Ars Technica, Amazon have now emailed all Echo users who currently have 'Do Not Send Voice Recordings' enabled on their device settings, letting them know that from March 28 this option will no longer be available.
This means that anything you say to your device specifically will now be stored in Amazon's cloud services, and will thus be accessible by the company itself.
Offering an explanation to the understandably unpopular change, Amazon argue that it's necessary due to the larger processing power requirements of their new generative AI tech, but that doesn't exactly comfort those who have no interest in Alexa+ services.
Technology experts have already warned against placing Echo devices in private areas such as the bathroom and bedroom, and reports that Amazon had to paid out $25 million in civil penalties over the storage of children's conversations rightfully worries many when it comes to the handling of their data.
Of course, many of the most popular questions involve things that Amazon (or frankly just about anybody) would have absolutely zero interest in holding on to, but not having the option to keep control over everything you say regardless of its importance is a major issue for some.
Some have recommended physically disabling the device's microphone until you want to speak to it, which would indeed ensure that nothing outside of what you ask is being heart, but many would argue that this goes against the whole purpose of convenience that smart home devices like the Echo offer.
On the r/amazonecho subreddit, however, many have found humor in the news, focusing specifically on one seemingly shared experience.
"Good, then they can listen to me telling her how f***ing useless she is," jokes one user, with another adding: "Yay! I tell her to f*** off multiple times a day. Simple things like 'what's the temperature right now' get met with 'hmm, I don't know that one'."
It's definitely something to consider when you're next quizzing your Echo device though, as who knows who's listening in on the other end.