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Apple won’t let other people listen to your Siri recordings anymore unless you opt-in

Published Aug 2nd, 2019 6:50AM EDT
Apple Siri Recordings
Image: Eric Risberg/AP/Shutterstock

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A report a few days ago revealed that third-parties listen to parts of Siri voice recordings to improve the accuracy of the service. A former employee for one of this Siri grading companies claimed that humans “regularly hear confidential medical information, drug deals, and recordings of couples having sex,” among other things. The report followed stories about similar practices involving Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Assistant. Actual humans can improve voice assistants by being allowed to listen in to voice recordings.

Apple has now suspended the program to conduct a review, and will only resume it once Siri users actually give their consent to have their Siri interactions graded.

“We are committed to delivering a great Siri experience while protecting user privacy,” an Apple spokesperson told The Verge. “While we conduct a thorough review, we are suspending Siri grading globally. Additionally, as part of a future software update, users will have the ability to choose to participate in grading.”

As The Verge points out, it’s unclear whether Apple will stop saving recordings to its servers while the program is suspended. Apple keeps recordings for six months, at which point it can remove identifying information and store the recording for two years or more, the report notes.

“A small portion of Siri requests are analyzed to improve Siri and dictation,” Apple told The Guardian, which first published details about the Siri grading program. “User requests are not associated with the user’s Apple ID. Siri responses are analyzed in secure facilities, and all reviewers are under the obligation to adhere to Apple’s strict confidentiality requirements.”

So far, Siri users were not able to opt-out from any Siri grading program, and Apple’s terms of service weren’t clear that such recordings could be made available to third-parties, The Verge explains.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.