Designed to protect your privacy
You have control over your
Alexa experience
Amazon designs Alexa and Echo devices with multiple layers of privacy and security—from built-in protections to controls and features you can see, hear, and touch.
On device
Controls you can
see, hear, and touch
Echo smart speakers are built with:
Microphone on/off buttons to disconnect the mics. Explore microphone controls.
Camera off buttons and built-in camera shutters for extra peace of mind.
Light indicators so you can see when Alexa is listening to your request and sending it to Amazon's secure cloud.
In app & online
Personalize your
Alexa Privacy Settings
View, hear, and delete your voice recordings.
Review and manage your
smart home device history.
See and update the Alexa Skills that you've granted permission to access specific data.
Manage how you help
improve Alexa.
You can view and update your
settings in the Alexa app or at
Alexa Privacy Settings at any
time. See a step-by-step guide.
Ask Alexa
Access privacy controls and
features by asking Alexa
For when you don't want to reach
for your phone or pull out your laptop:
“Alexa, tell me what you heard”
See and update the Alexa Skills that you've granted permission to access specific data.
“Alexa, why did you do that?“
for a short explanation about Alexa's response to your last voice request.
“Alexa, delete what
I just said”
to delete your voice recordings from the last ten minutes.
“Alexa, delete everything
I've ever said”
to delete all of your voice recordings.
Privacy by design
Privacy from A to Z
Learn how your privacy is protected across Alexa features and other Amazon devices and services that include Alexa.
Check out options for managing interest-based ads and advertising preferences for third parties across your Alexa-enabled devices.
Learn how Amazon Sidewalk works and how customer information is protected along the way.
Explore frequently asked questions about Astro, a new kind of robot that uses Alexa Voice Services to process and respond to voice requests.
Take a closer look at two optional Alexa Communications features: Announcements and Drop In.
Learn more about an opt-in feature that allows for more natural conversation while protecting your privacy.
Discover entertainment and education parents can trust with Alexa.
Learn how Map View puts your in control of how you view and manage your connected smart devices.
Find out how ultrasound motion detection works and get answers to privacy-related questions.
See which Echo devices allow on-device processing and decide if that’s something you might be interested in.
Screen Motion Explore the benefits of screen motion on Echo Show 10 and the ways in which you’re in control.
Discover how privacy is built in to your Alexa shopping experience.
Check out how Visual ID makes your Alexa experience more personalized and convenient while maintaining the privacy protections you expect.
Facts about Alexa
Separating fact from fiction
True
or
False
Alexa and Echo devices have been used and loved by millions of customers since 2014, but that's a blink of an eye compared to computers and smart phones. With new technology often comes misperceptions.
Let's take a look at some of the most popular ones and separate fact from fiction.
Security
Take a look behind the scenes
Amazon has hundreds of employees dedicated to designing secure products and finding and fixing vulnerabilities in Amazon services and devices, including Alexa and Echo. Let’s take a closer look at the layers of security that are at work behind the scenes.
Data use
Creating a more personalized
and inclusive experience
Your interactions with Alexa are used to help make
Alexa more accurate and useful over time—for you and for others. But what does that actually mean?
Personalizing
your experience
Your voice recordings help Alexa learn your preferences so your interactions are more accurate
and convenient.
Building a more
inclusive Alexa
Requests from a diverse range of customers helps Alexa understand everyone better—people with all kinds of speech patterns, accents, and dialects.
Listening
Wake word detection
Alexa
Amazon
Computer
Echo
Ziggy
When you have a request for Alexa, you first need to say your chosen wake word, which by default is “Alexa.” Only after your Echo device detects the wake word is Alexa listening to your requests. But how does that actually work?
Learn how your device can detect the wake word without hearing your conversations.
How Alexa works
The journey of a voice request
”Alexa, tell me the weather in Redmond.”
The moment your device detects the wake word, your voice request goes on a brief but eventful adventure, all while protecting your privacy. Let's follow a single request as it travels from your lips to Amazon's secure cloud.
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