Amazon's Alexa keeps recordings of your voice - here's how to delete them

AP

Alexa-powered devices always record what they hear when they interact with humans.

• Amazon's Alexa-powered smart speakers record all of their conversations with humans.
• The devices store transcripts and audio files of the interactions on the Alexa app.
• The files can be deleted with a few simple steps.

Amazon's Alexa-powered smart speakers have come under scrutiny after one of the devices recorded an Oregon couple's conversation and sent it to someone on their contact list.

The incident happened because the smart speaker had misinterpreted the couple's remarks as a command to record and send their conversation, Amazon later said.

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Some people might not realize, however, that Alexa-powered devices always record what they hear when they interact with humans.

The device stores a transcript and audio files of the interactions, which are accessible through the Alexa app. The recordings help improve the accuracy of the device, Amazon says.

Customers have the power to delete the recordings with a few simple steps:

1. Go to "Manage Your Content and Devices" on the Amazon website.
2. Select the "Your Devices" tab.
3. From the list of devices registered to your Amazon account, select your Alexa device.
4. Select "Manage Voice Recordings."
5. Select "Delete."