With the rapid growth of technology over the last several years, privacy has become a hot-button issue in terms of security. Simply put, the idea that an Orwellian “Big Brother” presence in the government or a large corporation can listen in on our daily conversations and monitor our online happenings doesn’t sit well for many.
All isn’t lost, however; there are safeguards in place that, at the very least, can semi-protect us from the government’s prying eyes. These safeguards are baked into a variety of software, allowing you to quickly clear your search history from your browser or your interactions with a host of smart speakers.
Both Google Assistant– and Alexa-enabled devices record your interactions with them, and then upload these exchanges to their respective databases in the cloud. This may be worrisome for anyone who chooses to use these types of devices, but the good news is that these recordings are easy to delete.
How to delete recordings from Alexa-enabled devices
To delete the recordings from an Alexa-enabled device, launch your favorite browser from your desktop and navigate to amazon.com/mycd. It’s important to use a desktop machine when doing so, since the deletion process doesn’t work as smoothly on mobile devices.
Once there, follow the steps below:
- Log in with the Amazon account your Alexa device is linked to.
- Click the Content and devices tab in the upper-right corner.
- Click the Your Devices tab in the center of the page.
- Click the three dots beside the device you want to clear history for.
- Click Manage voice recordings.
- Read the disclaimer and click the yellow Delete button.
Repeat these steps as necessary if you have other Alexa-enabled devices that you want to delete the recordings for.
How to delete recordings from Google Assistant-enabled devices
For Google Assistant-enabled devices, the deletion process is just as painless. It’s similar to the process you would use for an Alexa-compatible device, and as such, it’s crucial that you use a desktop computer.
To delete Google Assistant recordings, launch your favorite browser from your desktop and navigate to myactivity.google.com.
Once there, follow the steps below:
- Click Delete activity by on the left side of the screen.
- Specify a time frame. Selecting All time will allow you to delete all activity.
- Select Voice and audio from the resulting drop-down menu.
- Click the Delete button located below the date range.
- Click Delete in the pop-up window to confirm your decision.
Following these steps for either Alexa or Google Assistant-enabled devices will allow you to clear your saved recordings and give you an extra layer of privacy.Who doesn’t want that?
David Cogen — a regular contributor here at Digital Trends — runs TheUnlockr, a popular tech blog that focuses on tech news, tips and tricks, and the latest tech. You can also find him on Twitter discussing the latest tech trends.
