Microsoft confirms Xbox’ sharing of recordings with contractors

According to Vice, Microsoft contractors listened until recently to Xbox owners in order to improve the console’s voice command features. Recordings were supposed to be captured following a voice command like “Xbox” but contractors said that they could be triggered by mistake. According to the Verge, contractors could frequently hear the voices of unknowing children. This revelation feeds into a number of reports indicating how a number of human contractors had access to audio recordings from smart speakers and assistants like Siri and Cortana. A Microsoft spokesperson indicated that the company recently stopped listening to Xbox audio to improve Microsoft products.