Many are not aware of this, but it turns out that when you put a device that has the sole purpose of listening to your voice every single second of the day it actually hears and sometimes records your conversations. The always-listening, always-connected virtual assistants can also malfunction and apparently record entire discussions and then send your private conversation to your friends as one couple from Oregon, unfortunately learned last week. But there is a way to listen and delete every conversation that your Amazon Alexa has recorded in your home.
- Open the Alexa app on your iOS or Android phone
- Hit the menu or three-line “hamburger” button on the top left
- Go to “Settings”
- Scroll down and select “History”
- Then you will see and listen to every time Alexa was activated and what commands or accidental recordings were made
Look at how many times you told Alexa to play Toto’s “Africa” and how many times you ordered a Meat Lover’s pizza from Pizza Hut. You may encounter a good deal of false voice-activations and “accidental” recordings especially if you made the mistake of getting an Alexa when your dog’s name is “Alexa.” You can go through each recording and delete them individually or go to the Amazon’s Manage Your Content and Devices page and erase all of them. Amazon also says “you can also contact customer service to request deletion of your voice recordings.”
Amazon does warn that “deleting voice recordings may degrade your Alexa experience” and “if you delete voice recordings, we will also remove Home Screen Cards in the Alexa App related to those voice recordings.” So check out your recordings so that you don’t accidentally send an incriminating wiretap of you badmouthing your friend’s soon-to-be-wife right before their wedding where you’re the best man.
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[TheVerge]