Although Amazon’s Alexa makes life easier by making it possible to control smart home devices using voice, privacy concerns exist about how Alexa stores your personal data. Unlike the security of a conventional computer, Alexa can be hacked, and third-party skills can leak your information. It is therefore important to be careful with Alexa, and delete your conversations on time, and never save conversations. Also, always remember to turn off your microphone when Alexa is not in use.
The Amazon website warns that it is important to turn off your Alexa devices when you are not at home. Additionally, it is a good idea to enable a lock screen and use a thumbprint protection on your Echo devices. In addition to enabling these features, you can also use Alexa Guard, which will notify you when Alexa detects that someone has tampered with your home by triggering an alarm. In this way, you can play back the alarm to determine if it was an accident or not.
While some people worry that their personal information could be misused, Amazon says that its privacy policies are in line with its own. While it is not clear what privacy policies mean in this context, the fact that the company shares such information with 41 advertising partners is a good sign. In addition, Amazon says that it only records conversations involving a specific keyword and not just random chatter in the same room. Nevertheless, if you’re worried about the privacy of your personal data, it’s a good idea to opt out of the program.
