Apple Accused of Listening to Users’ Conversations and Voice Commands

According to a report by El Pais, Apple has been accused of listening to users’ private conversations and voice commands. The report cites a former employee of an Apple subcontractor, who claims that workers hired by Apple through a third-party company listen to personal conversations and voice commands from users.

Sources told the publication that these covertly hired employees in Spain listen to recordings in various languages, including French and German. The stated purpose is to improve the performance of Apple’s voice assistant software, Siri. However, the report notes that not only direct Siri requests are analyzed, but also users’ personal conversations.

The audio recordings include more than just search queries made through the voice assistant. Due to system errors that can cause the microphone to activate unexpectedly, the recordings may capture people’s conversations. Most of the recordings begin with the voice command that activates Siri.

Apple declined to comment on the situation, referring to its privacy policy, which states that “all Apple products and services are designed to keep personal information safe: only the user decides what to share and with whom.” However, Apple’s practices raise doubts about whether the company truly ensures complete data privacy.