Ride the Lightning

Alexa Features You Might Want to Turn Off Right Now

August 19, 2020

Thanks to CNET for a post advising you to turn off some of Alexa's features. Did Alexa really just launch in 2014? It seems like she's been here forever. The post really brought home to me how much I don't know about some of Alexa's capabilities.

Alexa's Drop In feature is a way for friends to connect during COVID-19. Unlike a phone call, drop-ins don't require you to "answer" the call: Your friend just speaks out of your device's speaker. Now that didn't sound cool to me at all – but I guess it does to a lot of people. But it's easy to forget that virtual visitors, once permitted, will have access to drop in anytime, unannounced. No way, no how. Unless you want friends or family members using the feature at inopportune times, you should switch off Drop In until you want to use it. For me, that would be never.

From the Alexa app, tap Devices, select which device you want, then tap Communications. From here, you can turn off drop-ins or limit them to specific devices.

Over the past two years, Amazon has been upping the use of Hunches which are follow-up questions Alexa asks you after you interact. They can be useful at times but can disruptive if, say, you're on a phone call and have to order Alexa to stop talking.

To switch off Hunches, tap More in the Alexa app, then Settings, then Hunches. A simple toggle controls the feature.

This one really pissed me off. Amazon still seems by default to opt users into its program using your voice recordings for research purposes. Absolutely no way do I want that.

To disable it, tap More in the Alexa app, then Settings, then Alexa Privacy. A separate page will open, where you can tap Manage Your Alexa Data. Scroll down and switch off Use of Voice Recordings. A pop-up will ask you to confirm the decision (Surprise, surprise, Amazon doesn't want you to turn this feature off).

You might also consider setting your voice recordings to automatically delete after three months — an option you can find on the same page as Use of Voice Recordings.

As you're looking at the Alexa Privacy page, another menu worth looking at is Manage Skill Permissions. You can scroll down to see which skills (Amazon's word for apps and features) want access to everything from your street address and contact info to your Amazon Prime payment info. Now and again, it's a good idea to see which skills you've enabled over years of using Alexa, and make sure you restrict any permissions you don't want Amazon to have.

To control these permissions, tap More, then Settings, then Alexa Privacy, then Manage Skill Permissions.

If you use an Echo Show device, make sure your camera is disabled or covered when you aren't using it. Hacking cameras is pretty standard hacker behavior these days.

To disable your camera, simply use the physical toggle on each Echo Show device.

Amazing how much work it is to try to keep some modicum of privacy these days!

Sharon D. Nelson, Esq., President, Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
3975 University Drive, Suite 225|Fairfax, VA 22030
Email: Phone: 703-359-0700
Digital Forensics/Cybersecurity/Information Technology
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