If you’re concerned about privacy it’s time to take matters into your own hands. You’ll definitely want to check out these five not-so-obvious settings. Your profile is created automatically, whether you want it or not, and it contains comments, ratings, public Wish Lists, biographical information and other site interaction. This profile doesn’t include your purchases or browsing history but it’s very informative. If you want to control what activity is visible on your public profile, follow these steps: It’s sometimes hard to tell what other people can see. If you want a quick look at what information you’re sharing publicly, click “View your profile as a visitor.” You can tell at a glance if you’re sharing anything you don’t want to out in the public arena. If your profile is showing your real name, or other biographical information you don’t want, go back to the profile settings page and click the Edit profile tab. It’s located right next to the Edit Privacy settings tab. You can edit or delete any information like your Bio, Occupation, Location and more. You can even change the “public name” on your profile and post reviews anonymously.
2. Listen and delete your Alexa recordings
Many people don’t realize you can review your voice log with the Alexa app on iOS and Android. The app allows you to scroll through your activity and listen to each recording. It’s a bit tedious, but it’s possible to go back and listen to the very first command you’ve ever uttered to Alexa. There’s nothing like hearing your two-year-younger self say “What’s the weather?” Whenever I check my settings, I am always surprised by what Alexa saves that does not have the wake word in the snippet. Want to hear your recording and delete them? Tap or click here for step-by-step instructions on how to listen and delete your Alexa recordings.
3. Make your lists private
The trouble is, anyone in the world can find your Wish List by searching your name. Granted, if your name is “John Smith,” you may not be easy to pinpoint. But if strangers find out where you live, they may be able to deduce and identify your profile.
Click on the “Accounts & Lists” drop-down box then select “Your Account.”Under the “Ordering and shopping preferences” section, choose “Manage your lists.“Make sure the “Your Lists” tab is selected. Hover over the three dots next to “Send list to others” on the top right, then select “Manage List.“Here, you can change your list details like your list name, the name of the recipient, email, birthday and most of all, its privacy.To change the list’s privacy settings from “Public,” simply click on and select “Private” on the drop-down box.
Meanwhile, you can also turn off personalized ads, which many customers find eerie and exasperating. Here’s how to turn off targeted ads on your browser:
5. Set a PIN on Alexa purchases
“Alexa, order more shampoo.” It’s convenient to purchase items from Alexa using only your voice. To turn it off:
Open your Alexa app.Tap the three bars in the upper left corner and select Account Settings.Tap Voice Purchasing and toggle “Purchase by voice” to Off (Note: slide the toggle to the left for off.)
If you still want the convenience (and the sci-fi vibe) of Alexa voice purchasing, you should set up a PIN code to avoid unauthorized purchases. To set it up:
Go to the same Voice Purchasing settings page on your Alexa app.Toggle “Purchase by voice” to On.Toggle “Voice code” to On as well.This will prompt you to enter your 4-digit PIN code.
Once you have a Voice Code configured, the 4-digit code has to be spoken out to complete a purchase on your Alexa-enabled device. Of course, anyone can listen in and reuse your code. A voice-purchasing PIN adds a veneer of security, but it’s hardly foolproof. As I said, I’d rather have Voice Purchasing set to off entirely.
