Alexa is a common member of many households, but there is a room of the house where you might want to keep the piece of tech far away – and it’s for one creepy reason.
Although you can technically keep a home assistant device anywhere in your home, keeping one in your bedroom is a bad idea, Fox News reports.
Pillow talk eavesdropper
The Alexa device is handy for a variety of things. It can do anything from playing your favourite music to answering questions you don’t feel like searching for yourself.
However, because the device is designed to take commands from the sound of your voice, it is naturally intended always to be listening and, therefore, can record your conversations without your consent.
Everyone who purchases an Alexa must consent to the fact that it could often be recording you, so it may give you more peace of mind by keeping it in the same spot you feel comfortable having company in.
Because it’s technically always recording, keeping the device away from the more intimate parts of your home, such as your bedroom and bathroom, would be wise.
Instead, leave your Alexa in spaces where you’d be more likely to host guests, such as the living room or kitchen.
Who can hear conversations that Alexa records?
As unsettling as it may seem, the staff at Amazon likely hears some of the private conversations you have near your Alexa device.
Amazon confirmed this is true, however the tech giant ensured customers that the staff only listens to the conversations for research purposes to improve the device’s understanding of human speech for future updates.
Every member of the Alexa staff at Amazon reviews up to 1000 audio clips per day.
Can I switch off the recording device?
Many complaints were issued to Amazon when people discovered they were being recorded without their knowledge.
Due to the negative feedback, Amazon has since adjusted its Alexa settings so that users can turn off its recording device if they wish to.
Here’s how to stop your Alexa from recording you at all times:
• Open the Alexa app on your smartphone
• Go to settings
• Select privacy
• Tap manage your Alexa data
• Select how long to save recordings
• Select don’t save recordings and hit confirm
• Scroll down to help improve Alexa
• Go to use of voice recordings and toggle it off
How to stop Alexa from snooping
You can mute Alexa Echos using the mute button on the speaker or display.
Tap that, and a red light will appear on your device – this means Alexa will stop responding to commands.
If you want to stop Amazon and Alexa from snooping on you completely, be sure to unplug any Alexa devices when not in use.
Don’t forget – Alexa is always listening.
This article originally appeared on Fox News and has been republished with permission