'The fact that I can even share some of this with you shows how lax things are in terms of protecting user data,' a Microsoft contractor who provided the cache of files to Motherboard said.

Other files obtained by Motherboard show that Microsoft contractors are also listening to voice commands that users speak to Cortana, the company's voice assistant.Īpple and Google recently suspended their use of human transcribers for their respective Siri and Google Assistant services after a backlash over similar media reporting on the companies' practices. The FAQ for Translator notes that audio recorded by Microsoft is used in this way, but it doesn't explicitly state that people are the ones listening to and reviewing the audio.The Skype audio obtained by Motherboard includes conversations from people talking intimately to loved ones, some chatting about personal issues such as their weight loss, and others seemingly discussing relationship problems. Translator, which Microsoft launched in 2015, uses conversation snippets to improve its understanding of language and natural speech.

A whistleblower informed Motherboard that contractors are reviewing recordings not just with the company's Cortana assistant but also conversations conducted on its Skype service.Īt least some of the audio files the contractor shared with Motherboard were made by the Translator feature in the Skype Android app. The Microsoft news takes a slightly different spin than the recent allegations faced by Apple, Google, and Amazon. With today's news, nearly every company operating a major voice assistant has now been hit with revelations that employees or contractors are hearing recordings made by the AI's users. It's Microsoft's turn in the spotlight thanks to a new report about the company's practices for reviewing and improving its AI.

Long-press the Action button to bring up Cortana.

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