Amazon announced that starting from March 28th, Echo users’ voice recordings will no longer be processed locally on devices; instead, all recordings will be transferred to the company’s online cloud system. This decision has prompted discussions on user privacy matters. Leading technology company Amazon declared that as of March 28, 2025, all voice recordings from Echo devices will be directly sent to the online cloud. With this update, the option to process Alexa requests on local devices will be eliminated. Amazon states that this move is intended to support Alexa’s new generation artificial intelligence features. Users, however, criticize the decision claiming it violates privacy terms. Amazon’s transition to a cloud-based system aims to optimize the newly introduced Alexa+ service. The company’s AI-powered voice assistant Alexa will be trained using voice commands uploaded to the cloud system. This is targeting to enhance the response speed and accuracy of Alexa+ to vocal requests and provide advanced personalization options. Leveraging the deep learning capabilities of artificial intelligence, Alexa is expected to evolve into an assistant capable of fulfilling more complex tasks. For instance, users hope Alexa could deliver detailed weather analysis instead of just basic information. PRIVACY CONCERNS ARISE While Amazon argues that this change will offer an enhanced user experience, concerns about security and privacy have emerged among users. In particular, the continuous uploading of voice recordings to the cloud has left users worried, recalling past data breach incidents and misuse of voice recordings. The company, however, assures users that it implements high-level encryption and advanced security protocols to safeguard user data. PAST ISSUES Amazon has faced several significant issues related to voice recordings and data privacy in the past. In 2019, it was revealed that Amazon employees were listening to Alexa users’ voice recordings. Although the company stated they did this to enhance AI algorithms, users being unaware of this and some recordings containing sensitive content sparked major debates. The American Federal Trade Commission fined Amazon $30 million in 2023 for data privacy violations concerning Ring and Alexa devices. These violations included employees accessing voice and video recordings, and storage of children’s voice recordings for extended periods without proper consent.