Amazon Shifts Alexa Recordings to Cloud Processing, Raising Privacy Concerns

In a significant change to its digital assistant service, Amazon has informed users of its Echo smart speakers that as of March 28, 2025, they will no longer have the option to process Alexa voice commands locally. Instead, all voice recordings will be transmitted to Amazon's cloud service for processing and analysis.

The company's decision, communicated through an email to customers, has sparked concerns among privacy experts. Users who previously opted to disable the feature that sends voice recordings to the cloud will be affected by this update. Amazon justified the move by stating that the enhancements to Alexa, including generative AI capabilities, require the computational power of its secure cloud infrastructure.

Amazon's new system, known as Alexa+, utilizes several advanced language models, including its own Nova and Claude from Anthropic, in which Amazon has a stake. This upgrade aims to improve the assistant's ability to understand human language more effectively, similar to the capabilities of AI platforms like ChatGPT and Google Gemini.

Additionally, Amazon is promoting Alexa+ for its voice recognition feature, which can distinguish between different users. This allows Alexa to manage calendar events, reminders, and music preferences tailored to individual users. However, Amazon has noted that opting out of storing voice recordings may hinder the effectiveness of the voice recognition feature.

The shift has raised alarms, especially considering previous incidents where Amazon faced scrutiny regarding its handling of voice recordings. In 2023, the company agreed to pay $25 million in civil penalties for retaining recordings of children interacting with Alexa. Furthermore, Amazon has faced criticism for allowing employees to listen to voice recordings to enhance system training, and these recordings have been utilized in legal proceedings in the United States.

In its email, Amazon reassured users that voice requests would be deleted after processing and that all data transmitted to the cloud would be encrypted. The company emphasized that its cloud services are fortified with multiple security measures aimed at safeguarding personal information. Users will still have the ability to adjust various privacy settings through the Alexa Privacy Dashboard.