Your Xbox is spying on you and won't stop.
Motherboard journalists talked to several Microsoft business partners who admit that they have or had access to recordings from Xbox One. Apparently, among these recordings there were random conversations that did not seem to be deliberate calls of the assistant. As if that was not enough, the interlocutors say that they have heard children many times. In the case of the console it is nothing special, but US law protects the privacy of the youngest in a special way.
Microsoft has already managed to confirm that its partners listened to voice recordings from Cortana, but on Windows, as well as listened to Skype calls when the interpreter function was used. However, the Redmond company doesn't see anything wrong with that.
We’ve long been clear that we collect voice data to improve voice-enabled services and that this data is sometimes reviewed by vendors,
a Microsoft spokesperson said in an additional statement.
While Google and Apple, shortly after disclosure of the practice, decided to at least temporarily stop people verifying recordings, Microsoft clearly states that it will not cancel the existing provisions. Instead, he promises to check if the privacy policy is transparent enough.
We’ve recently updated our privacy statement to add greater clarity that people sometimes review this data as part of the product improvement process,
We always get customer permission before collecting voice data, we take steps to de-identify voice snippets being reviewed to protect people’s privacy, and we require that handling of this data be held to the highest privacy standards in the law. At the same time, we’re actively working on additional steps we can take to give customers more transparency and more control over how their data is used to improve products.
Conclusion? The Redmond company admits that it collects its users' recordings and does not intend to stop doing so. However, it ensures that the materials are anonymized, so you cannot identify the person from whom they originate. And all this in the name of the mythical idea, which is the legendary improvement in the quality of services.
If so, maybe it's time to present a new business model for this type of "services" - UaaT (User as a Tester)?
