Amazon Echo users will no longer have the option to process their Alexa requests locally, which means all of their voice recordings will be sent to the company’s cloud.
Ars Technica reports that on Friday, Amazon sent an email to customers who have “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” enabled on their Echo smart speakers and displays, stating the company would stop supporting the privacy-enhancing feature on March 28.
“As we continue to expand Alexa’s capabilities with generative AI features that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud, we have decided to no longer support this feature,” the email said.
This comes as Amazon is rolling out a new version of its voice-controlled AI assistant, now known as Alexa+. Consumers and regulators have raised concerns about Alexa’s privacy implications in the past, with Amazon agreeing to pay a $25 million in 2023 settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over children’s privacy.