Google can listen to our chats, here's how to stop it
- Google can listen to our chats by recording sound and even saving some audio when users interact with popular Google services such as Search, Assistant and Maps.
The tech company is candid about what it stores and says that some settings must be enabled before a recording is made.
"When you talk to Google services, Google uses its audio recognition technology to process your audio and respond to you," Google said in its terms.
"Google uses the audio saved by these settings to develop and improve audio recognition technology and the Google services that use it, such as Google Assistant,"
Google claims users' private chats will never be recorded or snooped on. They have confirmed that they have a team dedicated to listening to saved audio snippets, then using them to improve the service with voice search.
"For some audio technology improvements, audio samples saved when this setting is enabled will be analyzed by trained reviewers, who listen, transcribe, and annotate, so Google services can better interpret the audio," the tech giant said.
"We take steps to protect your privacy as part of this process, for example, by separating your audio from your account when reviewers analyze it." If you as a user do not want your activities recorded by Google, there is a very simple way to turn it off.
Quoting the Mirror page, all you have to do is go to the Google application on your cellphone and tap the account icon in the top corner of the screen. From here, tap Manage Google Account then press Data and Privacy. Scroll down to Web & App Activity and turn off I Include Voice and Audio Activity.
If you disable these voice and audio activity settings, Google will no longer store audio recordings in your Google Account on Google servers with your Web & App Activity when you interact with Google services. Google says it will continue processing audio to respond when you talk to Google services.
It's also worth noting that if this setting is disabled, Google will not use previously saved audio when this setting is enabled to improve its voice technologies such as Voice Match. However, previously saved audio may continue to be used to enhance other audio technologies unless you delete it. Google also says users can delete previously saved audio with your Web & App Activity at Activity.google.com.