In a report in August by The Guardian, it was mentioned that Apple was hiring third-party contractors to ‘grade’ and listen to Siri recordings from iPad and iPhone users, some of which had recordings of people having sex, drug deals and private medical information.
The Irish Examiner also reported that Cork contractors listened to 1,000-plus recordings per shift before Apple shut down their operations. Employees say that the recordings had mostly UK, Canadian and Australian accents, and were tasked with grading and transcribing the audio clips based on whether the query was completed and how Siri was activated.
Apple is not the first to do this. Facebook, Google, and Amazon have admitted to listening in, but it’s ironic because the Cupertino-based firm has always advocated for total user privacy.
Apple has shut down operations and suspended Siri grading. Furthermore, they have promised a comprehensive review regarding their processes.
