Amazon to let Alexa users delete voice commands in privacy push

Amazon.com Inc. is updating its Alexa voice software to let users delete recordings of their voice using a spoken command, a move that follows criticism of the company’s privacy practices related to its digital assistant.

A coming set of updates will offer users who have opted in online the ability to say “Alexa, delete everything I said today,” or, similarly, delete their most recent utterance. Previously, the only way to remove recordings was a tool on the Alexa privacy website.

“It’s a good step in the right direction,” said Florian Schaub, a professor at the University of Michigan who has researched privacy issues related to smart speakers. Recent reporting and research on Amazon’s digital assistant, he said, likely “helped inform these decisions” by the company.