Amazon Echo saves all your voice data. Here’s how to delete it

Amazon Echo
is always listening. From the moment you wake up Echo to the end of your command, your voice is recorded and transcribed. And then it’s stored on Amazon’s servers.

The company asserts that the data is used to improve Amazon Echo. That’s not uncommon — Apple stores anonymized Siri data for up to two years in order to improve the product. Amazon’s prerogative is likely the same, using your — and everyone else’s — data to improve the way Echo understands you.

It’s unclear how long the data is stored, but we do know that it is not anonymized. And, for now, there’s no way to prevent recordings from being saved.

If that’s unsettling, there are two ways to remove your personal voice data from Amazon’s servers.

Option 1: Delete individual recordings

To delete specific recordings, go to the Amazon Echo app > Settings > History. You’ll see a list of all the requests you’ve made since setting up your Echo. To delete a recording, tap it, then tap Delete voice recordings.

Option 2: Delete everything

For those who don’t take chances, there’s a way to delete all voice data in one fell swoop. Head to www.amazon.com/myx, sign in, and click Your Devices. Select Amazon Echo, then click Manage Voice Recordings.