Amazon designs Alexa and Echo devices with multiple layers of privacy and security—from built-in protections to controls and features you can see, hear, and touch.
On device
Microphones enable/disable button to disconnect the mics. Explore controls.
Microphones & Camera enable/disable button and for some devices, a built-in camera shutter.
Light indicators so you can see when Alexa is listening to your request and sending it to the cloud.
In app & online
Review and manage your chats
Review and manage your
smart home device history.
See and update the Alexa Skills that you've granted permission to access specific data.
Manage how you help
improve Alexa.
Ask Alexa
Alexa will read back your most recent voice request.
for a short explanation about Alexa's response to your
last voice request.
Privacy by design
Check out options for managing interest-based ads and advertising preferences for third parties across your Alexa-enabled devices.
Learn how Amazon Sidewalk works and how customer information is protected along the way.
Explore frequently asked questions about Astro, a new kind of robot that uses Alexa Voice Services to process and respond to voice requests.
Take a closer look at two optional Alexa Communications features: Announcements and Drop In.
Learn more about a feature that allows for more natural conversation while protecting your privacy.
Discover entertainment and education parents can trust with Alexa.
Learn how Map View puts your in control of how you view and manage your connected smart devices.
Find out how Presence Detection works and get answers to privacy-related questions.
Screen Motion Explore the benefits of screen motion on Echo Show 10 and the ways in which you’re in control.
Facts about Alexa
Alexa and Echo devices have been used and loved by millions of customers since 2014, but that's a blink of an eye compared to computers and smart phones. With new technology often comes misperceptions.
Let's take a look at some of the most popular ones and separate fact from fiction.
Security
Data use
Your voice recordings, transcripts, and typed requests help Alexa learn your preferences so your interactions are more accurateand convenient.
Requests from a diverse range of customers helps Alexa understand everyone better—people with all kinds of speech patterns, accents, and dialects.
Listening
When you have a request for Alexa, you first need to say your chosen wake word, which by default is “Alexa.” Only after your Echo device detects the wake word is Alexa listening to your requests. But how does that actually work?
Learn how your device can detect the wake word without hearing your conversations.
How Alexa works
The moment your device detects the wake word, your voice request goes on a brief but eventful adventure, all while protecting your privacy. Let's follow a single request as it travels from your lips to Amazon's secure cloud.