Amazon Alexa: prevent eavesdropping - you should pay attention to this

Amazon's digital assistant Alexa is moving into more and more apartments, but many users want to prevent unwanted eavesdropping. We have summarized what you should pay attention to when using the smart loudspeaker.

Amazon Alexa listens constantly, but doesn't broadcast everything

• Alexa only works if you can constantly listen and are connected to the Internet. The reason for this is simple: the voice assistant continuously pays attention to the set activation word. As soon as this is recognized, Alexa sends the following voice commands to the Amazon servers, where they are then evaluated. This is the only way the system can transmit the appropriate answers and carry out the desired actions.
• Even if Alexa does not work completely offline, it does not mean that she always records and transmits everything. Amazon assures that the analysis of all audio signals for the activation word only takes place locally on the device. Everyday conversations are therefore not broadcast and are not recorded anywhere.
• Only when Alexa recognizes the activation word will subsequent voice commands actually be transferred to the cloud. There they remain stored indefinitely and can be evaluated at any time by Amazon or other linked services.
• You can find out which data has been transferred via the Alexa app: Open the menu and select Settings -> History. You will now see all recognized voice commands and can also delete them.

Alexa: How to prevent unwanted eavesdropping

• You can quickly see whether Alexa is currently active and sending data by looking at your Amazon Echo: If the LED ring lights up blue, Alexa will listen to you. A flashing signalizes data transmission. If the LEDs are off, Alexa waits for the activation word.
• To make activated voice transmission even clearer, you can activate request tones in the Alexa app: Open the menu, select Settings -> [Device name] -> Tones -> Request tones. Select "Start the request" and "End the request" here.
• If you want to temporarily prevent the activation word from being recognized, press the button on the top of Amazon Echo to switch off the microphone. You can tell whether the microphone is switched off by the red light of the LEDs.
• There is no switch at Amazon Echo. If you want to switch off the system completely, you have to pull the mains plug. This can be implemented more easily using a power strip with a switch.

As a rule, Alexa should respond promptly to your commands at any time. You can find out what you can do if the language assistant does not understand you on the next page.