Alexa device can do a variety of things
If you are tech-savvy, then chances are you have Amazon Echo devices installed in your house or it's there on your wish list. Now, experts have warned that you can keep your device anywhere in your house, but you should not keep it in your bedroom. The experts have flagged the concerns of privacy breaches.
Although the Alexa device can do a variety of things including playing your favourite music, setting alarms, news, and weather updates to answering questions, the voice-activated gadget device is designed to take commands and is always listening to your private conversations without your consent. Fox News report says, "Everyone who purchases an Alexa must consent to the fact that it could often be recording you, so it may give you more peace of mind by keeping it in the same spot you feel comfortable having company in."
Experts suggest that people should keep the device away from the more intimate parts of their homes, such as their bedrooms and bathroom. It is advisable to keep the device in the living room or kitchen.
Fox News reported that staff at Amazon can hear some of the private conversations. Amazon confirmed this as true; however, it ensured customers that the staff only listens to the conversations for research purposes to improve the device's understanding of human speech for future updates. Every member of the Alexa staff at Amazon reviews up to 1,000 audio clips per day
Amazon said: "Access to these review tools is only granted to a limited number of employees who require them to improve the service. Our review process does not associate voice recordings with any customer-identifiable information," reported Indy100.
However, you can adjust the settings and turn off the recording device. You can open the 'Alexa' app on your phone, go to 'settings', choose 'privacy', tap on 'manage your Alexa data', select 'how long to save recordings', select 'don't save recordings' and select 'confirm'. Further, you can scroll down to help 'improve Alexa' and choose 'use of voice recording' and toggle it off.