Google probes leak of smart speaker
Google is investigating how 1,000 conversations recorded by one of its smart speakers were leaked.
Belgian broadcaster VRT exposed the recordings made by Google Home devices in Belgium and the Netherlands.
It said it took steps to protect the privacy of people whose recordings its reviewers sampled.
VRT said the majority of the recordings it reviewed were short clips logged by the Google Home devices as owners used them.
These unintentionally recorded exchanges included:
- blazing rows
- bedroom chatter
- phone calls exposing confidential information
It said it believed the devices logged these conversations because users said a word or phrase that sounded similar to “OK Google” that triggered the device.
Responding in its blog to the VRT expose, Google said it shared recordings with experts who “understand the nuances and accents” of specific languages to make its speaker more accurate.
It added that it was probing how one of its contractors had been able to give VRT access to the database of recorded chatter.
“Our security and privacy response teams have been activated on this issue, are investigating, and we will take action,” it wrote.