Apple Suspends Siri Program After Privacy Backlash

From threatpost.com

apple pauses siri listening

Apple’s Siri follows Amazon Alexa and Google Home in facing backlash for its data retention policies.

Apple is suspending a program that lets contractors listen in on Siri voice recordings after facing a rain of backlash regarding the privacy implications of the program.

The suspension comes after a report in The Guardian last week outlining how contractors regularly listen to intimate voice recordings – including drug deals or recordings of couples having sex – in order to improve audio accuracy, a process that Apple calls “grading.”

On the heels of the report, which drew ire from privacy advocates, Apple said that it will take steps in the future to ensure that users have the power to opt out of the program.

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