After Apple and Google have come under fire for using humans to review recordings of users captured by their voice assistants, a report today from Bloomberg highlights that Facebook was doing the same until roughly a week ago.
Facebook was using “hundreds of outside contractors” to transcribe audio clips from users of its Messenger app.
Facebook’s contractors for this job were tasked with validating whether its app was interpreting voice messages accurately, with the clips apparently being anonymized.
Like the Apple contractor that came forward and shared about the sensitive coversations and content heard, anonymous Facebook contractors told Bloomberg that they hear “vulgar content.”
The company told Bloomberg that it indeed was having humans review audio clips from Facebook Messenger but stopped the practice very recently.
Under a week after a report from the Guardian detailed Apple’s use of contractors to listen and grade less than 1% of Siri activations, the company suspended the program and noted that in the future it will be an option, not a default.
- Apple reviewing Siri audio grading practices, will let users opt out in future
- Poll: Are you okay with Apple contractors listening to and grading Siri interactions?
- Apple responds to Guardian report about contractors hearing private conversations while ‘grading’ Siri
