Your Amazon Echo Will Start Spying—Er, “Reporting”—to Amazon on March 28

If you thought your Amazon Echo was just a helpful AI assistant chilling on your shelf, think again. As of March 28, your Echo will start sending everything you say straight to Amazon’s cloud—whether you like it or not. That’s right. Amazon is removing the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” option. In other words, if you previously had this privacy setting turned on, it’s about to vanish faster than loot in an online game with random matchmaking.

What’s Changing with Amazon Echo?

Up until now, you had the option to keep your Alexa voice recordings local—meaning your Echo processed commands on your device instead of sending them to Amazon’s servers. But now, Amazon is flipping the switch and making cloud processing mandatory. According to an email sent to Echo users, this change is part of Amazon’s push toward generative AI, which requires cloud processing to function. Or, to put it bluntly: more AI, less privacy.

Oh, and if you use Voice ID—the feature that lets Alexa recognize your voice for personalized recommendations—guess what? That’ll stop working too, unless you let Amazon keep your recordings.

So, you either:
A) Let Amazon collect your voice data forever
or
B) Lose features that were included when you bought the device

Sound fair? Didn’t think so.

The Internet Reacts: “We’re Not Mad, Just… Extremely Mad”

Let’s just say this announcement hasn’t exactly gone over well. Reddit is currently on fire with Echo users venting about the update, with reactions ranging from mild annoyance to full-blown “burn it all down” mode. Some are calling it a forced downgrade, while others are asking, “Hey, isn’t this how dystopian sci-fi movies start?” Meanwhile, Amazon is assuring users that “Alexa voice requests are always encrypted in transit” and that their cloud is super secure. But let’s be real—once your data is up there, Amazon’s employees can still access it.

Why Is Amazon Doing This?

If you’ve been following Amazon’s AI ambitions, this move isn’t exactly surprising. A few weeks ago, Amazon teased Alexa+, a premium subscription that adds AI-powered enhancements. That project hit a few roadblocks, delaying its launch, but it looks like Amazon is doubling down on AI, and the Echo update lines up perfectly with their bigger plans.

More data = better AI
Better AI = More reasons for Amazon to sell you stuff

And let’s not forget that cloud-based AI costs money. If Amazon is investing in a smarter Alexa, it’s going to need a constant flow of voice data—which explains why the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” setting is getting yeeted into the void.

Gamers, You’ve Seen This Before

Let’s be real: This update feels a lot like an online game update that nobody asked for. You know the type—where a perfectly fine feature suddenly disappears, and the developers tell you, “Don’t worry, this will make things better!”

Except, instead of a minor inconvenience like nerfing your favourite weapon in Call of Duty, Amazon is forcing you to trade your privacy for basic functionality. It’s like if a game locked your best gear behind a paywall and told you, “If you want to keep your XP bonuses, just let us track all your in-game voice chats.”

Yeah… no thanks.

What Happens After March 28?

After the update goes live, everything you say to Alexa will be sent to Amazon’s cloud—no exceptions. If you still want Voice ID, calendar reminders, or personalized music, you’ll have to agree to let Amazon store your voice data permanently. If you delete recordings regularly, you’ll lose access to these features. Of course, there’s always the nuclear option: unplug your Echo and throw it in a drawer. Or, you know… start talking in riddles whenever Alexa is around.