Facebook Faces Backlash Over Secret Audio Transcriptions by Contractors
Facebook reportedly uses third-party contractors to transcribe user audio from Messenger without explicit permission. The social giant halts the practice as it joins Amazon, Google, and Apple in facing audio privacy scrutiny.
Facebook faces intense scrutiny after a report reveals the company uses third-party contractors to transcribe audio from its Messenger app without explicit user permission. Contractors tell Bloomberg they match these audio conversations against AI-generated transcriptions to improve the technology, but they feel the work is unethical because Facebook fails to disclose this human review to users.
The social media giant's privacy policy lacks a clear explanation of what it does with collected audio data, directly contradicting the company's long-standing claims that it is not listening to users through their phones. Although Facebook spokesperson Joe Osborne states the company stops transcribing voice data earlier in August, the revelation raises serious questions about why users are never explicitly told about the third-party review process.
This revelation makes Facebook the latest in a string of major tech companies to face heat over audio privacy practices. Amazon, Google, Apple, and Microsoft all face similar backlash recently for allowing human contractors to review user voice recordings from devices like Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, and Skype without express permission.