Google admits that employees listen to some 'Ok Google' queries

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Chandraveer Mathur

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Last updated on Jun 30, 2021, 07:45 pm

We previously reported that a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology had summoned executives of Silicon Valley giants Facebook and Google to discuss the safety of citizens and their rights online. In that meeting which happened yesterday, Google representatives reportedly admitted that the company's employees listen in on some "Ok Google" queries and customers' subsequent confidential conversations. Here are more details.

After initial reluctance, Google, Facebook deposed before Parliamentary panel yesterday

The Parliamentary committee chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called for an in-person meeting with Google and Facebook executives on June 29. After initial reluctance, the companies deposed before the panel yesterday. Anonymous sources familiar with the matter told India today that Google's employees listen in on customer interactions with the Assistant.

Google claims it listens in even when Assistant isn't summoned

India Today reported that when questioned by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey elected from Jharkhand's Godda seat, Google admitted that users' conversations were recorded, sometimes even when the virtual assistant had not been summoned using the "Ok Google!" hotword. Evidently, the committee members view this as a serious breach of privacy and will make recommendations to the government on it in the final report.

Google added that it doesn't hear 'sensitive information'

In a boilerplate defense to the admission, Google reportedly said that it doesn't hear sensitive information and only general conversations are recorded. However, the company didn't clarify how it identifies and separates sensitive information. The panel firmly told the company representatives to plug loopholes in the existing data protection and privacy policy mechanisms and install stringent safeguards to protect the privacy of Indian users.

Panel member links Google's admission to aggressive targeted advertising

A member of the panel reportedly said, "The admission by Google explains why lakhs of users right after asking Google Assistant about hotels in a city start getting messages on their accounts on different platforms about deals and offers." We believe that far worse consequences of letting Big Tech listen in on private conversations could include identity theft, data theft, and even financial fraud.

2019 report found Amazon also listened in on Alexa users

Meanwhile, Google isn't the only company found to have been recording and listening in on users' conversations. Previously, an investigation by The Sun found that Amazon employees also listen in on conversations and intimate activities of users via the always-on Alexa-enabled speakers. However, this isn't a criminal invasion of privacy since the clause is buried in the terms of use we all agreed upon.

Apple's voice assistant also records interactions to 'improve speech recognition'

A report also found that Apple executives listen in on customer interactions with the Siri voice assistant. The company claims that these recordings are not associated with Apple IDs and are collected to improve the speech recognition of the underlying systems.