Whenever a game-changing device or product comes out, skeptics are always the first to ask “What’s the catch?” Nothing is free in this world, after all. With technology, similar logic should apply. When something truly revolutionary is released, it’s always smart to ask yourself “What am I giving up in exchange for this?” These features are groundbreaking, so there has to be some sort of trade-off behind the scenes, right? As it turns out, the truth is a bit more sinister. Alexa isn’t just smart because of its programming — it’s been getting human help on the back end. Thousands of employees around the world are analyzing audio clips from Alexa devices every day, and some of the things they’re picking up are private, personal, and disturbing.
“Alexa, are you listening?”
Alexa’s engineers are constantly tweaking the voice recognition algorithm that powers the home speaker, but doing so requires more than just coding knowledge. Real audio data is needed to build Alexa’s vocabulary and improve its ability to understand things like slang and regional dialects. Smart home tips from a guy who did it and lived to tell Working with as many as 1,000 audio clips each shift, these analysts report a mostly mundane workflow peppered with occasionally embarrassing or distressing content. The voice review process works by scanning harvested clips for “keywords” that Alexa is already familiar with, such as a brand name or musical artist. From here, the analysts listen to, transcribe and annotate the clips to improve Alexa’s overall recognition. However, the clips they receive aren’t always from a normal voice command. Due to the nature of sound recognition software, false positives can trigger the device to record audio. Which has led to awkward collections, like a woman singing off key in the shower. Some of the clips analysts received have a darker nature, like a child screaming for help. In one case, they heard what sounded like a sexual assault.
How to stop Alexa from recording you
If you’re looking to get as much of your privacy back from Alexa as possible, your best bet is to access your stored recordings and delete them. Tap or click here to learn how to hear all your Alexa recordings and delete them, too. Scroll down to #4. These are the same clips that analysts would be combing through, so by curating what analysts can and cannot access, you can enjoy your Alexa device minus the major creep factor. The easiest way to ensure Alexa isn’t listening is to simply turn off the microphone on your Alexa-enabled device when you’re not using it. There is a button located on top of your Echo or Echo Dot that will turn off the mic. (Note: Example in image above.)
