Facebook Admits Paying Contractors to Transcribe User Audio Chats
Facebook confirms it pays outside contractors to transcribe audio clips from Messenger users to test its AI, but now pauses the practice following industry backlash.
Facebook pays hundreds of outside contractors to transcribe audio clips from users of its services, according to people with knowledge of the work. These contractors remain unaware of where the audio originates or how it is obtained, and they simply transcribe the conversations, which sometimes contain vulgar content. The work rattles the employees, who do not know why Facebook needs the audio transcribed.
Facebook confirms that it transcribes users' audio but states it will no longer continue the practice. The company explains that the affected users opt into the transcription feature in Facebook's Messenger app, and the contractors check whether the artificial intelligence correctly interprets the anonymized messages. Facebook pauses this human review following intense scrutiny of similar audio-collection programs at other major technology companies.
Other big tech companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google face severe criticism for using human workers to review audio snippets from consumer devices. Apple and Google halt the practice entirely, while Amazon now allows users to opt out. This revelation directly contradicts past statements by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who previously dismissed the idea of Facebook listening to user microphones for ads as a conspiracy theory.