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Google Wants Your Voice Data
00_NOP writes "Peter Norvig, Google's director of research, has told New Scientist that one of the reasons the search engine launched Google Voice is that it needs more human voice data to perfect the sort of 'big data, simple algorithm' probabilistic approach to translating voices to text that drives Google Translate. Norvig says that no one is listening to your calls on Google Voice — it is simply their servers trying to get the translation right."
If you log into your Google Voice page, and look at a translated message, in the lower right corner there is the question - "Transcript useful?" along with yes/no checkboxes. If you check one, it asks if you want to "donate" that VM to improve the translations, you can answer yes/no/never:
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
I can tell that they want the voice data badly. They make it very difficult to delete call and voicemail history. You can't delete more than 10 records at a time and even then they go into trash and keep piling up over there. You can delete the data from trash but again only 10 at a time. There is no option to empty the trash. Their help section says that the history is purged from trash after 30 days automatically but only that it isn't. My call history sits in the trash indefinitely unless I painstakingly delete all history 10 records at a time.
Apparently they're already on par with your average Slashdot editor.
PocketPermissions Android Permission Guide
I gave up trying to get voice software to work over a decade ago. The reason is that I'm trilingual and use all 3 daily. So the software needs to be able to:
- understand a lousy accent: there are some words I cannot and will never be able to pronounce 'right'
- recognize what language is being spoken (having those 3 and only those 3 preset in the options)
Now I haven't tried Google Voice, but none of the software I've tried or heard about could even remotely do those two basic things.
Non-Linux Penguins ?
We should just get over the fact that privacy is gone, eh? Not here, my friend. Not ever. People have a RIGHT to privacy despite what anyone will tell you.
The fact that the majority of people could give a hoot in hell about their personal and our collective privacy will come back to haunt us. I don't understand why people would willingly give up their privacy for a little functionality, cool tech, gadgets, whatever. I value my privacy and I don't share my info willingly with anyone or any organization without a lawful requirement, e.g. SSN for employers, banks. I even fought my medical insurance company on getting my SSN because they have no legal mandate to possess that information.
I will not have grocery store cards to save money for the same reasons. I will not trade my personal information for a little savings.
These companies take our information from us and profit greatly while we in turn get what? A "free" email account laden with ads that track our behavior? This is not a win-win situation and no one really cares, because they can chat with their friends across the globe in real time, make "friends" on Facebook they will never meet or really know.
Where does all this end? When the entire world is one transparent collective society where no one has any privacy whatsoever? Personal information is a goldmine as is shown by how desperately companies want to get their hands on it. I think there should be a citizens' clearinghouse where people can agree to sell their info for a profit -- opt-in by default. Anyone caught trying to get around this clearinghouse pays dearly legally. Companies bid for your personal information and you profit as well. Anything short of some model like this is completely lopsided in favor of corporate interests that don't have our best interests at heart.
"Peter Norvig, Google's director of research, has told New Scientist that one of the reasons the search engine launched Google Voice is that it needs more human voice data to perfect the sort of 'big data, simple algorithm' probabilistic approach to translating voices to text that drives Google Translate. Norvig says that no one is listening to your calls on Google Voice — it is simply their servers trying to the translation right."
I think Google Voice translated the last part of that sentence.
Do you not understand what voicemail is? How can record a message for someone without consenting to it being recorded?
We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace