Tech expert warns people to never keep Amazon Alexa Echo in their bedrooms and the reason is alarming
From setting cooking timers to telling us when England's next Euro game is, Amazon's Alexa Echo has quickly become the chatty assistant we never knew we needed.
It's so ingrained in our daily lives that sometimes we forget it's even there.
But that might be a problem, according to a tech expert.
For one, it's always listening. So, bear this in mind when you think about where your Alexa is plugged in within your house.
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The experts advise against putting Alexa in your bedroom, warning that you could unknowingly become the 'entertainment.'
There have been rumours about whether Alexa - or more specifically Amazon employees - can listen in through the device.
Tech Expert Dr. Hannah Fry spoke to the Daily Mail back in 2019. You might remember this to be the same year Amazon whistleblowers hinted that employees might be eavesdropping to ensure the devices were working properly.
Amazon later confirmed this but assured customers that staff only listens to conversations for research purposes, aiming to improve the device's understanding of human speech.
Every member of the Alexa staff at Amazon reviews up to 1,000 audio clips per day.
'This technology is activated by a trigger word [such as 'Alexa'] but it keeps recording for a short period afterwards,' Dr. Fry said. 'People accept that, but we should all spend more time thinking about what it means for us.'
She added: 'There are people who are very senior in the tech world who will not have so much as a smartphone in their bedroom… If a company is offering you a device with an internet-connected microphone at a low price, you have to think about that very carefully…
'I have both an Alexa and a Google voice-activated device and I regularly turn them both off. People really must set their own limits.'
To keep your data safe and keep Amazon from listening, follow these steps:
- On the Alexa mobile app and go into settings.
- Press Alexa privacy and then select 'Manage Your Alexa Data'.
- Choose the 'How Long to Save Recordings' option.
- Tap 'Don't Save Recordings' and press 'Confirm'.
But for peace of mind, it's best to turn the device off entirely. After all, in some way or another, our devices are always listening in on us.