Amazon keeps Alexa records if you don't delete them

Amazon admitted that he keeps Alexa voice recordings until customers delete them. Additionally, even after deleting a voice recording, traces may remain on Amazon's non-primary storage systems. Neither is good news.

Examine how Amazon handles your data

During the first half of this year, various tech publications began investigating what Amazon was doing with people's Alexa voice recordings. What, for people who don't know how this device works. This is all that is said immediately after saying your word of warning.

Reports suggest that Amazon keeps transcripts of people's interactions with Alexa. Even after the voice recordings have been deleted. Delaware Senator Chris Coons sent a letter to Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, and Amazon finally responded.

Amazon admits it keeps Alexa voice recordings

Senator Coons reportedly asked two questions, starting with, "How long does Amazon store transcripts of users' voice recordings?" To which Amazon responded, "We keep customer voice recordings and transcripts until the customer decides to delete them."

This is revealing by others. Since Amazon admits that it keeps voice recordings and Alexa transcripts unless and until the customer deletes them. And if they don't delete them, we have to assume that they are kept indefinitely.

Coons also asked Amazon, "Do users have the option to remove some or all of these transcripts?" After explaining how users can delete the voice recordings associated with their account. Amazon delved into the details of what is stored and where, saying:

“When a client deletes a voice recording, we delete the transcripts associated with the client's account. Both the customer's request and Alexa's response. We have already removed these transcripts from all major Alexa storage systems. And we constantly strive to ensure that these transcripts do not remain on any of Alexa's other storage systems. "

Records are kept indefinitely

So when a customer interacts with an Alexa skill, that skill developer can also keep records of the interaction. For example, for many types of Alexa requests, such as when a customer signs up for Amazon Music Unlimited. Order from Amazon Fresh, order a car from Uber or Lyft, order pizza from Domino's.

Or make a purchase of premium skills digital content. Amazon or the relevant skills developer must obviously keep a record of the transaction.

For other types of Alexa requests, for example, set a recurring alarm. Or have the device remind you of your birthday, put a meeting in your calendar, or send a message to a friend.

Customers would not want or wait for the voice recording to be deleted to remove the underlying data. Or prevent the voice device from performing the requested task.

That's a huge amount of information to digest. But essentially, Amazon says it's doing everything it can to remove deleted transcripts from its systems. Amazon and third parties may keep records of transactions. And Amazon will keep some data of some requests.

How to delete your voice recordings in Alexa

Moreover, Senator Coons seems satisfied with this answer. While promising to do more to protect the personal information of Americans. However, it is suspected that Amazon customers who interact with Alexa will have reservations about data retention.

Until Amazon improves the way it handles this data, all you can do is delete as much as possible.