The suspicion that large tech companies are monitoring everything we users do and say is enormous. The explanation is, however, very rarely illegal monitoring, but rather cleverly designed user agreements that allow companies to store information and use it to develop services with extreme precision.
On March 28, Amazon is making a change regarding what its smart speakers collect when using the AI service Alexa, reports Ars Technica. Regardless of whether you subscribe to the new Alexa+ service or not, it will no longer be possible to store audio locally when using the company's Echo speakers. Instead, all data will be handled via Amazon's cloud.
According to Amazon, the change is being made to improve the service. To Techcrunch, the company says that all user data is protected.
"We focus on the tools and controls that our users use most and that work well together with generative AI that relies on the power of Amazon's secure cloud," it says.
In 2023, Amazon paid $25 million in damages after it was revealed that they had permanently stored children's interactions with Alexa. The same year, the company was in hot water over employees being able to see users' private recordings from the company's Ring cameras (a camera in a doorbell).
Amazon's changed terms should also be seen in the light of the company having had a hard time making the voice service Alexa economically sustainable for a longer period.
