Amazon Adds Delete Voice Recordings Feature For Alexa

Amazon has recently announced to add an amazing feature for privacy-conscious users, allowing them to delete the devices’ previous saved recordings. It is a very easy solution, as anyone having Alexa powered device can easily wipe it out of previously recorded data with the help of a simple voice command. Although, this solution has already existed in the device the users had to use the Amazon website or the Alexa app to delete these recordings. These tools can easily erase every recording that the users want to delete.

On 29th May 2019, the retail giant said that they have tweaked its Alexa voice software to let the consumers use voice commands to delete every recording of what they have said earlier that day. Alexa and Apple’s Siri has a default function to record everything said after they hear ‘Wake’ word, which helps them to train their artificial intelligences. The Google Assistant has also recently changed its default function, which now does not record everything said after its prompt, ‘Hey Google’.

Amazon adds this feature, due to the criticism of Amazon and other smart speaker manufacturers that have improved in recent months as consumers are purchasing more number of devices and then integrating them in their homes. In the previous month, there are a total of 19 consumer groups that accused Amazon regarding the illegal collection of their voice recordings and other identifying information of the consumer. Amazon’s new feature lets the user remove the recordings of throughout the day by just simply saying, “Alexa, delete everything I said today”. The company also said that they will soon release another amazing feature for the user, which lets them erase their last request to the device by just saying, “Alexa, delete what I just said”.

While the device is supposed to record only after they hear their name, but there was an incident last year where the users found that their Eco device accidentally gets turned on and has recorded a private conversation and then has sent it to a random contact. Amazon replied to this, that the device might have misheard a series of commands that led it to send that particular recording to one of the contacts. This Amazon’s faces down Alexa privacy concerns is the feature particularly for the time when children’s are around. In the previous month, an Advocacy group has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission regarding Amazon’s recording practices, particularly for its Eco Dot Kids device which violets a federal law that protects data from the children under the age of 13. The group complained that Amazon clearly fails to explain how to delete the information collected for the children.

In addition to this new voice command feature, Amazon is also rumored to be launching its latest “Alexa Privacy Hub” that is supposed to offer a very easy way to learn about Alexa which includes its working and find privacy controls. This Alexa’s Privacy Hub lets the user delete voice recordings in a relatively quick way as it is a central place on the web to manage settings and privacy.

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