Facebook Paid Contractors to Transcribe Messenger Voice Chats

[gsurf123]

This along with other companies listening in is being way overplayed. You cannot improve a product with testing and internal testing won't suffice. Older voice recognition products were crappy and could not be improved upon. Having people listen and transcribe randomized samples hurts no one.

 

[Breaking Good]

What really saddens me is that there are still people who think they are getting Facebook's or Google's services for free.

 

[rgbrock1]

I understand, why you have to transcribe audio recordings to improve a voice recognition system like Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant.

But why does Facebook transcribe voice chats? Despite of some unethical things I see no legitimation for Facebook to do that.

Why does Farcebook transcribe voice chats? Simply because Mark Zuckerberg's company is the epitome of unethical.
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There are laws protecting your medical records and Facebook seems to have no laws they can follow.

Indeed. Those are known as HIPAA laws which are very strict in who is allowed access to your medical records. If Farcebook ever got a hold of ANYONE'S medical records they are in violation of the law and could face very serious legal repercussions for doing so.

 

[EddieDeez]

How is this different from Apple contractors listening in to your Siri conversations with no option to opt out? Oh, and where's the outage for that? https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/26/...-recording-explanation-alexa-google-assistant

 

[Hi Tek]

Facebook has an AI assistant? I'm confused /s

 

[aloshka]

It's interesting to see lots of tech message boards in which the same people flip on contractors. When it's a story about Uber and Lyft, it's always about how these people should be considered full employees and get benefits and unions because they are good people who are being held out by mean companies.

Not really a comparison at all... to put this analogy in lift/uber example you are talking about it, it would read more like:
Uber/Lyft is recording everything you say in the cars or record all the messages on your phone and send it over to contractors to be transcribed into text (for what reason, we don't know since this is voice audio between two parties and not siri, or alexa where transcribing makes sense).

I think you misunderstand massive violation of privacy (sending what you and your girlfriend/wife talk about to contractors to transcribe) or just having union or work-related issues.

 

[nburwell]

So did Zuckerberg think this was some fantastic idea to hire a company to "transcribe" voice chats within Messenger? I wouldn't be surprised if this was/is happening within WhatsApp too.

Facebook as a whole completely disgusts me.

 

[Nordichund]

FB is just too intrusive for me. One day, like so many others, it will just disappear.

 

[PlainviewX]

They stopped it a week ago when they caught wind of a report coming out.

 

[iConcept]

"But we only did it because we didn't think anyone would find out..."

 

[BeerboyUK]

I think I will be re-reading the GDPR. There has to be something there that can be tied to the exploitation and monetization of personal data that can be used to punish FB.

 

[geofffitch]

You buried the lede. Facebook AI is listening to your private conversations. The human transcription is just there to check it's doing it correctly.

 

[cashville2400]

Not surprised! Facebook and Instagram owns every single part of your life that you don't want it to. Mark Zuckerberg can go to hell!

 

[digthewell]

This is pretty much the standard practice with Google too. Though Google doesn't pay contractors to transcribe text but allows them to proof read it. No personal data is divulged to such contractors, only basic commands and searches are used.

But Facebook? Meh. They're more evil.