Amazon scraps Alexa privacy option for AI upgrade, raising concerns

Amazon on Friday discontinued a privacy feature for Alexa-enabled devices, requiring all voice interactions to be processed in its cloud starting this week. The company says the move is necessary to support its upcoming Alexa Plus AI upgrade, but digital rights advocates argue it limits consumer choice.

The removed "do not send voice recordings" setting was previously available only on select U.S. devices including the Echo Dot 4th generation, Echo Show 10 and Echo Show 15. Users who had enabled this feature will now automatically switch to "Do not save recordings," which allows cloud processing but deletes data afterward.

Amazon claimed less than 0.03 percent of customers used the discontinued option, though critics point out the setting was buried in menus and not widely publicized.

The change highlights growing tensions between AI development needs and privacy expectations. Supporters argue advanced AI features require large datasets and cloud processing, noting similar trade-offs exist with Google Assistant and Apple's Siri. However, privacy advocates warn removing opt-out options could normalize reduced data control in future tech updates.

China's regulatory approach presents a notable contrast through its Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL), which mandates explicit consent for data collection and provides local storage options for sensitive information. Domestic smart assistants like Baidu's Xiaodu and Alibaba's Tmall Genie operate under these requirements.