From March 28, your echo will transmit everything to Amazon, without exception

From March 28, 2025, Amazon will delete the option “Do not send voice records” on its Echo devices. Consequently, all interactions with Alexa will be systematically transmitted to Amazon Cloud servers for treatment, without the possibility of local treatment. The firm argues that cloud treatment is necessary to the execution of its Alexa+ service.

All Echo speakers concerned

Only three models had the option of not sending vocal records (the other Echo speakers already sending all requests to the default cloud). Now, even theEcho Dot (4th generation) L'Echo Show 10 and theEcho Show 15 will work like the others: all voice interactions will be processed online on Amazon servers (with immediate deletion of the records if the user has chosen not to keep them). No current version of the Echo therefore escapes this new policy.

Concretely, even the simplest orders will now have to pass through the cloud. Amazon ensures that the records will not be kept if the automatic deletion option is activated, but they will necessarily be analyzed in real time.

A suppression of heavy consequences?

Cybersecurity experts denounce a decline in privacy protections. For Lukasz Olejnik, data protection specialist, “Amazon imposes a model where requests become compulsory, while so far, some users still had partial control over their data”.

The risks linked to this systematic collection are multiple. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has already inflicted a fine of $ 25 million in Amazon in 2023 For illegally retaining children's vocal recordings. Reports have also revealed that employees could listen to extracts from conversations, officially to improve voice recognition.

A question arises in the waterproof of this evolution: does the end of this option respect data protection laws? From a European point of view, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) requires principles of “privacy by design” and minimization of the data collected. However, eliminating an optional adjustment that protected privacy may seem to go against these principles. In this case, Alexa will now collect vocal data that it was once possible not to transmit – which raises the question of the legal basis of this treatment.

The status quo for the GDPR therefore remains unchanged: Amazon already treats the vocal requests of Europeans on its servers (with the implicit consent of the user who uses Alexa), provided that the other obligations strictly respect (transparency, security, right to erasure, etc.). This will not prevent the authorities from being vigilant.

The CNPD of Luxembourg – Amazon's main regulator in Europe – has already looked into the question of Alexa's human listenings in 2019. It could again examine this development again. The absence of a less intrusive alternative could be criticized with regard to the principle of proportionality of the GDPR, but so far, no public action has been announced on the subject. Amazon, for his part, says he continues to offer “A robust set of tools and controls”.

What alternatives to Amazon Echo?

The American firm offers an option to delete automatic records after each request, of course, but that does not prevent their temporary transmission to servers. For those who wish to limit the exposure of their vocal data, several solutions exist.

• Disable the microphone: Echo speakers have a button to cut active listening. A simple solution, but which makes Alexa unusable without manual activation. Of course, a silent vocal assistant loses any functional interest, so it is a punctual solution (during sensitive conversations for example).
• Adopt an open-source alternative: Rhasspy and Mycroft are vocal assistants that operate fully offline, ensuring that no data is sent to a third-party server.

Turning to other vocal assistants remains a solution, but their respect for privacy is also subject to debate.