Why Facebook Contractors Were Listening in on Consumers' Private Conversations
Just like Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, the company used audio transcripts to train its voice-recognition technology
Facebook has employed hundreds of contractors to transcribe the contents of voice chats in the company’s Messenger app, according to a report published Tuesday by Bloomberg.
Although many users think of Messenger as a pure texting app, it can also be used to send short audio clips. And users can turn on an additional feature called Voice to Text that sends a computer-generated transcript along with the recording. In an emailed response to CR questions, a Facebook spokesperson said the company had been reviewing anonymized copies of these transcripts to check for accuracy.
The spokesperson said the company had stopped the program, at least temporarily. “Much like Apple and Google, we paused human review of audio more than a week ago,” the email read.
Facebook is only the latest tech giant caught paying workers to listen in on consumers in situations that might otherwise seem private. Over the past few months, reports have highlighted similar practices at Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, where workers reviewed audio recordings of consumers interacting with smart speakers and digital assistants.
