14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft contractors tasked with analyzing data collected by a series of services are said to be provided with access to private user chats that could include confidential information and sexual encounters.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Apple contractors were listening to user recordings made by Siri. While the purpose was to help improve the AI behind Siri, the recordings often included very private details that shouldn’t otherwise be available when reviewing the audio samples.
In the case of Microsoft, the revealing was made by someone with knowledge of the process who agreed to share the info with Motherboard. The audio snippets come from services like the Skype Translator engine and Cortana, which collect samples to help improve the translation and AI system.
Microsoft does confirm that parts of the user conversation are uploaded to its servers for analysis in order to further improve the AI powering its service, but on the other hand, there are no specifics as to whether the data is reviewed by a person or an automated system.
Phone sex and full addresses included in recordings
On the other hand, the software giant does say that personal information isn’t included in the data it collects from users.
“Microsoft collects voice data to provide and improve voice-enabled services like search, voice commands, dictation or translation services. We strive to be transparent about our collection and use of voice data to ensure customers can make informed choices about when and how their voice data is used. Microsoft gets customers’ permission before collecting and using their voice data,” the company told the cited source.
“We also put in place several procedures designed to prioritize users’ privacy before sharing this data with our vendors, including de-identifying data, requiring non-disclosure agreements with vendors and their employees, and requiring that vendors meet the high privacy standards set out in European law. We continue to review the way we handle voice data to ensure we make options as clear as possible to customers and provide strong privacy protections.”
However, the whistleblower says the recordings he listened to included phone sex, full addresses, and pornography queries sent to Cortana.
While Apple has already announced a series of measures to protect users, including an opt-out to block the sending of audio samples to its servers, Microsoft is yet to confirm such changes.