For a company that prides itself in protecting its users’ privacy, we imagine that Apple must have been mortified when a report surfaced that revealed that Apple had sent Siri recordings to outside contractors for analyzing. Following the report, Apple suspended the program and last we heard, they terminated the contractors that worked for them.It has been several weeks since the news broke, and Apple has since come forward with an official statement and also to apologize to its users. The company has also announced that they will be making some changes and improvements to help better protect user privacy when using Siri.
This includes not retaining audio recordings of Siri interactions. Apple will still analyze Siri interactions, but it will only be through computer-generated transcripts. Apple has also announced that users will be able to opt into a program that will allow Apple to improve Siri through audio samples. Apple will also only allow Apple employees to listen to these audio samples, suggesting that maybe the use of outside contractors may no longer be on the table.
According to Apple, “Apple is committed to putting the customer at the center of everything we do, which includes protecting their privacy. We created Siri to help them get things done, faster and easier, without compromising their right to privacy. We are grateful to our users for their passion for Siri, and for pushing us to constantly improve.”