Microsoft listens to Skype calls and Cortana commands: Reports

Recently, Microsoft has been charged with listening to its user’s calls and voice commands. A report recently confirmed that Microsoft contractors were found listening to conversations collected through Skype’s translation service. Also, there were some contractors who were listening to the voice commands that were spoken by users to Cortana.

Microsoft has been charged with the same thing that earlier, Amazon, Apple, and Google were charged with as these tech giants were also listening to the voice assistant queries through their respective Artificial Intelligence apps.

There are reports that Apple recently suspended its program following which its employees including some third party contractors were listening to user’s conversations with Siri, and Amazon now lets users opt-out of the program that let people review your Alexa recordings.

Currently, where too many tech giants involved in the matter, it doesn’t sound shocking that tech companies use human moderators to listen to voice commands and translations. The tech giants also specified that they have been conducting the practices to improve the system’s accuracy and correct error if any in their systems.

Microsoft, in its Skype FAQs, has already mentioned that the company is using user’s conversations to improve its products and services. But recently some of the critics charge that such conversations should not be reviewed by humans and the company must use AI to review such conversations.

In a statement provided to Vice, Microsoft said: “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 most important concern nowadays is not that contractors are listening to the private conversations of the product and services users, but the concern is that these third-party contractors which the respective companies have hired are leaking the recordings and transcribed documents.