Hey Google, Stop Listening!

If you own a smart device—or expect to receive one this holiday season—you may be worried about its security. Devices from Apple, Amazon, and Google offer convenient ways to access information or communicate. However, these companies have faced criticism for recording and reviewing voice data without users’ consent. A bit of skepticism is reasonable.

In 2019, Amazon, Google, and Apple temporarily suspended human review of user audio recordings. This decision followed widespread outrage over privacy concerns. Contractors were listening to anonymized audio clips to improve AI capabilities. Google, in particular, has been criticized for its lack of transparency about whether these recordings are shared with third parties for ad personalization.

Thankfully, if you own a Google Home, Apple HomePod, or Amazon Echo device, there are steps you can take to stop strangers from accessing your voice commands.

To stop Amazon employees from listening to your Alexa voice recordings:

1. Open the Alexa app.
2. Go to Settings > Alexa Privacy > Manage Your Alexa Data.
3. Select Choose How Long to Save Recordings > Don’t Save Recordings, then confirm.
4. Scroll down to Help Improve Alexa and turn off Use of Voice Recordings.

For Google Home devices:

1. Open the Google Home app and click on your profile icon.
2. Navigate to My Activity > Saving Activity.
3. Turn off Include Audio Recordings.

For Apple HomePod or iPhone:

1. If you’ve opted in to share audio data, open Settings.
2. Go to Privacy > Analytics and Improvements.
3. Turn off Improve Siri & Dictation.

Protecting your privacy doesn’t have to be complicated. If you’d like assistance securing your devices—smart or otherwise—feel free to reach out to us at info@optfinity.com.