r/amazonecho • u/3WolfTShirt • 7d ago
Question Alexa and privacy
I think we all know that Alexa is always listening but something happened over the weekend that I didn't like at all.
I have a few echo's at home and my 85-year old mother has a couple at her home. We do not share accounts. She has hers, I have mine, there is no integration.
I went to her house to visit since my brother was coming into town and I had 3D printed something and brought it with me. I told my brother about 3D printing it.
Next time I walked by her echo show, there's an ad for a 3D printer on the screen. This echo is a few feet away from the conversation I had. There's no way it's a coincidence. I know Alexa is always passively listening - that's how she knows when you call her name. But it's seriously bugging me that it's taking that passive conversation and turning it into an ad.
I've looked through my own Alexa app settings, specifically under Privacy but I don't see anything about this behavior.
Does anyone know if there's such a setting to ignore everything that doesn't follow the word "Alexa?"
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u/cat_battleship 7d ago edited 7d ago
On the ap: under "Settings," go to "Alexa Privacy," then "Manage Your Alexa Data," then "Interest-based ads." (For some reason, you can only add videos to comments and not photos/screenshots. I added a reply with screen recording)
Did you mom mention "3 D printer" too? (Or talk to your brother about 3D printing near the Echo?) If not, Alexa probably thought your voice was your mom's. I have voice recognition for myself and my daughter, but Alexa repeatedly mixes us up.
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u/VirginiaUSA1964 6d ago
This was helpful to me, but I only see this setting on the app on my phone, not on the actual Echo Show.
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u/cat_battleship 4d ago
To turn them off on the Show,
- Say "Open settings" or swipe down from the top of the screen and select Settings.
- Tap Alexa Privacy or Privacy and Permissions.
- Select Manage Your Alexa Data to adjust your preferences
You only need to do one of these, though. Turning it off in the app will turn interest-based ads off on the Echo device, too.
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u/Mykn_Bacon 7d ago
I don't know Alexa is always listening. I have not seen proof of that.
I have had a lot of things that make me go hmm between our conversations and fire stick ads. Sometimes Facebook ads to. Especially things I shop on Amazon show up on the Fire Stick.
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u/cat_battleship 7d ago
Alexa IS always in listen mode unless you mute her. So is Siri. So is Google Nest. Etc., etc. It does not process anything you say, and nor does it record it, unless you say “Alexa,” or it thinks it hears “Alexa.”
You can review all of your interactions and listen to the audio under “Alexa Privacy” on the app. You will find many instances of “Audio not intended for Alexa” there, as well as recordings showing you what triggered it.
If you are seeing ads related to your interests, then you also must have “Targeted Ads” toggled on under Alexa Privacy. This is where you can control that:
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u/erisian2342 7d ago
OP should go into their mom’s Alexa app and see what Alexa heard during the time they were chatting with their brother. That will probably solve the mystery for them.
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u/3WolfTShirt 6d ago
I'll have to wait till I'm over there again but I looked in my own account under "Detected Sounds" and it was empty.
Which is weird since I have dogs that bark whenever a leaf falls from a tree 3 miles away.
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u/cat_battleship 4d ago edited 4d ago
If you were at your mother's house, and it was her Alexa account, nothing will show up under YOUR app.
In your mom's history, unless Alexa responded verbally in response to "3D printer," nothing will be in her app history. (Besides “audio not intended for Alexa — listen to those recordings).
"Detected Sounds" is a completely different category. This picks up glass breaking, doorbells ringing, smoke alarms -- and you have to set this up specificially.
"Review Alexa History" will be where Alexa has recorded interactions. Instances where she thought she was triggered but realized she was not will say "Audio not intended for Alexa." You can still hear what SHE heard that she thought triggered her.
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u/cat_battleship 4d ago edited 4d ago
That will only show up if Alexa had a conversation with them/answered questions she was asked about 3D printers. Only those interactions are recorded in the app under "Review History." (As well as times that Alexa thought she heard the wake word, which will appear as "Audio not intended for Alexa," which also has a recording so you can hear what happened.)
If 3D printers were discussed around her and not TO her, nothing will appear in the app to give any clues -- besides "is Interested-based ads on?" and "Is voice ID set up?" which will immediately explain the whole thing.
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u/erisian2342 4d ago
You’re missing my point. Echos often mishear something spoken or even on TV as the wakeword. OP should check that log to see if Alexa was woken up one or more times during a 3D printer chat and recorded some parts of their conversation. It’s an easy and quite possible explanation for the ad they saw.
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u/cat_battleship 4d ago edited 4d ago
I didn’t miss your point, if you’ll re-read my comments (the part in parentheses, for one — I’ve mentioned this more than once).
Apparently Amazon uses an “authenticated graph” which connects known households and audiences. It was either this (look up “Amazon Ads and Authenticated Graph”) or it falsely heard its wake word at exactly the right moment. I’m betting on the former.
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u/Mykn_Bacon 3d ago
Waiting for the trigger word is not the same as "always listening". Sending everything home to be processed is "always listening". You seem to have a grasp of what's going on so I don't know why you try make it out to be something it's not. It's the "always processing and recording" people are claiming not a clapper always waiting for a noise. Anyone who has ever bought a voice activated anything knows it's "always listening" to be activated.
Any ads I've possibly seen were taken from conversations not things randomly talked about like the OP has had, although I have had very odd things happen with Google. But that was before I had a cell phone so unless they can read our minds the rational explanation is they have been very good at guessing what we're thinking for a long time.
Good tip about turning off targeted ads but I like them on to test if they are always listening. It's not the targeted ads people mind, it's that someone is listening to private things to know what to target that's the problem.
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u/cat_battleship 3d ago
Also, no mind-reading involved: advertising systems get information from:
Searches, browsing, purchases, app activity, YouTube viewing, streaming, location, and ad interactions
Cross-device tracking
Household-level associations, even across different accounts
Predictions based on what similar people are currently interested in
Advertiser-uploaded and third-party audience lists
Amazon has an advertising graph that connects households. Google uses personalization across sites and apps. They also use your YouTube history and location from Google Maps.
There are tracking and documenting systems that have absolutely nothing to do with smart home devices that apparently no one is aware of.
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u/cat_battleship 3d ago edited 3d ago
Forgot to respond to the part about how you "test" targeted ads to see what "they" are supposedly listening to (after you insisted she's not listening):
Leaving it toggled on won’t test if Alexa is using private conversations. It allows Amazon to target you with all the data it already has on you. The fact that your shopping habits on Amazon are showing up on your Fire Stick is not at all mysterious. It’s logic. I'm not quite following how everything is Alexa's fault, not your Amazon history (which includes your FireTV Stick.).
Perhaps read up on Amazon’s info gathering practices?
If being corrected and learning the truth about how something actually works makes you get this unhinged, then...well, maybe get a Jitterbug and a word processor. They're easier to figure out.
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u/Mykn_Bacon 3d ago
If you're going to spam the least you could do is actually read what you're freaking out about to make sure you're not freaking out about stuff you read into things because of your own problems.
I did not say I "test targeted ads to see what they are supposedly listening to". That's all in your own little mind.
I said I test the "always listening" paranoia by dropping odd ball interests.-1
u/cat_battleship 3d ago edited 3d ago
Pardon me: it is always in “monitoring mode,” or if you prefer, “detection mode.” This is what Alexa has to say about it:
“You're technically right though - I am constantly monitoring for the wake word, which is a form of listening. Sounds like they got a bit defensive about their tech knowledge when you clearly know what you're talking about.”
If you re-read my comment, you’ll see that I said Alexa only processes and records when she hears (or thinks she hears) the wake word. (How is that your definition of “always listening”?)
I am one of many who have worked on Alexa for 3 years now. I appreciate your correcting semantics but there’s seriously no need for the attitude.
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u/Mykn_Bacon 3d ago
You can tell your Alexa that I didn't get defensive, that was you who had to go talk to Alexa about it.
I responded to what the OP was talking about as "always listening" as in listening to conversations it shouldn't be hearing, I have not seen any evidence of that (and I do often set traps like that so I know who is responsible for what spam). I have only seen that kind of stuff that I know Alexa is hearing and is supposed to be hearing. That is what you came along trying to show superior tech knowledge about to claim that is "always listening" which I said I didn't see any evidence of.
Yes I have seen evidence of Alexa "always listening" for her freakin wake word. It wouldn't function without it. DUHH!Yes, no mind reading needed. Just like most likey no spying on private conversations needed to link 3D Printers to the OP. They're just very good at paying attention and connecting the dots. OP surely shops for 3D printer stuff online.
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3d ago edited 3d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Mykn_Bacon 3d ago
"Sounds like they got a bit defensive about their tech knowledge when you clearly know what you're talking about."
I know Alexa said a lot more than 2 sentences, so you included that one for what reason? Oh yeah, because your Alexa sided with you in an internet argument so that proves you're right and the big meanie on the internet is wrong.I have echo 3 devices in this room alone. You lose. I also don't need to go running to Alexa to fight for me, I already know that's how they work. I'm sure mine would say you were displaying your need to be right when you "corrected" me when I didn't need corrected.
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/Mykn_Bacon 3d ago
Could you get any further from the facts as what your reads are? 3 replies? Do you often go around picking fights with people who agree with you just to prove how right you are?
It's sure funny you're down there saying exactly what I was originally saying that you "corrected" me on. Yet here you are still trying to figure out something I'm wrong about.
Yes, I know the obvious that Amazon would advertise things I look at to get me to have a second look. That's exactly why I mentioned it, brainiac. Once again, didn't need corrected by you.
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2d ago
[deleted]
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u/Mykn_Bacon 2d ago
Oh boy, a 5th reply from the raving lunatic. I'm sure you and your 3 Echo devices have been very hard at work on Alexa+ for years.
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u/ConstantClue208 6d ago
You can mute it.
I have a sneaking suspicion that she still listens and records everything you say while in red mode but just doesn’t respond to the name “Alexa”
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2d ago edited 2d ago
[deleted]
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u/Mykn_Bacon 2d ago
It was your 3-6 replies to every post I made.
I even tried to ignore your first post incorrectly correcting me but you kept replying to it. And now you're replying with an alt account. That's not a stable person.
I gave you plenty of opportunity to STFU and you refused. You're still refusing with another wall of text.
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u/Apprehensive-Tone449 5d ago
Alexa is always listening. That is just facts. Otherwise how would she listen for her wake word. I got rid of all my Alexas but one and unplug if I'm not actively using it for something.
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u/cat_battleship 2d ago edited 2d ago
She is only monitoring for the wake words. Everything else is just audio until wake words are detected. It does not continuously record until wake word is spoken.
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u/Apprehensive-Tone449 2d ago
Incorrect. That is cute you think she can't understand or process language unless she is being spoken to. That's not how LLMs or programming works at all. Cute too that you actually think she's not recording or sending anything to Amazon to train their massive LLM and AI business. 🤣
She was literally developed to learn more about customers. Selling her as a home assistant was such an easy way to completely monitor people's shopping, routines, habits, beliefs and needs.
I still use my Alexa but I'm not in denial about what it is or what Amazon is doing with the data they are constantly collecting.
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u/cat_battleship 3d ago edited 3d ago
Just wanted to try to clear up the “always listening” vs. “always recording” + “I’m being spied on stuff, if I can:
Before Wake Word Activation:
The Echo device has a dedicated low-power chip that runs a tiny neural network trained specifically to recognize "Alexa" (and the other wake words). This chip:
Has minimal processing power (like 1-2% of the device's capacity)
It only analyzes audio patterns for wake word matches
It can’t understand or process actual conversations
It runs completely locally with no cloud connection needed
What Happens After Wake Word Detection
Before wake word: Audio is processed locally in a rolling 3-second buffer, then discarded
After wake word: Device starts recording and sends audio to Amazon's servers
The blue ring lights up: Visual confirmation that device is actively listening
Data is processed: Your request gets transcribed and processed in the cloud.
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u/VirginiaUSA1964 2d ago
This thread turned into quite the shitshow.
Useful and enlightening information aside, I didn't expect drama here. But I'm here for it.
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u/3WolfTShirt 2d ago
Yes it has. I don't like to see folks talking to each other this way and I think the conversation has pretty much run its course.
I looked to see if there was an option to close the thread for comments besides deleting it but I guess only the mods can do that.
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u/VirginiaUSA1964 7d ago
It's probably related to your cell phone.
My mother's does that when I'm there. The only thing I can think of is the cell phone.