Is my smart speaker allowed to record me — and my guests?

Every “Hey…” clip — and every false wake-word trigger — can end up stored on the vendor’s servers, tied to your account, sometimes reviewed by humans for “quality” (the scandal that forced all major vendors to make review opt-in after 2019). Your controls, use them: each ecosystem has a voice-history page where you can listen to and delete recordings, set auto-delete windows, opt out of human review, and disable “improve the service” data sharing. An Art. 15 access request reaches whatever the dashboard hides. The mic-off button is a hardware fact; use it for sensitive conversations. Your guests are the legal wrinkle: the household exemption covers your domestic use, but EDPB guidance expects you to inform people whose voices get processed — practically: mention the speaker, mute it on request, and don’t use always-listening devices to record visitors (that flips you into the conversation-recording problem). Landlords, hosts and short-let owners: disclosed speakers in living areas at minimum; anything recording in sleeping areas or bathrooms is prohibited — platforms ban undisclosed devices outright. Recordings as evidence (neighbour disputes, custody fights) surface periodically in courts; admissibility is national and messy — never rely on it. The bigger exposure is usually the account: voice purchases, linked calendars, routine data. Secure the account with 2FA before worrying about the microphone.