VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS COMPLICATE
THE PRIVACY ISSUE
When you speak to a virtual assistant on your
mobile device, wearable, computer or smart
speaker, it’s easy to assume that it’s a truly
private conversation between just you and the
assistant. However, numerous revelations in
recent weeks and months will, for many people,
have cast significant doubt on that theory.
Many big-name tech companies have been
listening in, albeit reportedly only in a select
few, carefully justified instances. Do we have
reason to be worried?
TECH GIANTS CAUGHT WITH THEIR
HANDS IN THE COOKIE JAR
For years, user privacy has been a major issue
in the tech sphere. This has undoubtedly been
exacerbated by the Cambridge Analytica
scandal that engulfed Facebook last year and
saw the social media company come under fire
for its handling of user data. It’s little wonder
that in April, Mark Zuckerberg sought to draw a
line under the whole sorry episode by declaring
that “the future is private”. Meanwhile, Apple has
insisted: “What happens on your iPhone, stays
on your iPhone”.
Naturally, upholding praise for user privacy
should also mean upholding user privacy
itself. However, tech titans have not always
succeeded in suitably balancing that particular
priority with carrying out the data analysis
they require to hone their AI efforts and, in
this way, keep them competitive. This year
alone, a series of reports has centered on how
Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Apple have