Apple halts programme where human contractors regularly listened to your Siri conversations

Apple found itself in a rare privacy-related controversy after it was discovered that the third-party human contractors were listening to users’ Siri voice recordings. After wide criticism from users and privacy advocates, Apple on Friday said it had temporarily terminated the programme with the third-party contractors.

“We are committed to delivering a great Siri experience while protecting user privacy,” an Apple spokesperson told The Verge. “While we conduct a thorough review, we are suspending Siri grading globally. Additionally, as part of a future software update, users will have the ability to choose to participate in grading.”

Apple hasn’t yet revealed whether the company will allow these third-party contractors to retain the earlier recordings or delete from its servers as well.