1,000 Siri recordings a day heard by former Apple contractors: Report

Some Siri recordings involved personal data or bits of a conversation but mostly commands, the report said.

A customer compares the size of the new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max at the Apple Store in Singapore September 21, 2018. (REUTERS)

Contractors in the Irish city of Cork had the task of listening to over 1,000 Siri voice recordings per shift, before Apple suspended the programme last month, a media report said.

The contractors had the job of listening to and grading recordings by Apple's virtual assistant, Siri, the Irish Examiner reported last week, citing a former employee.

The employee said that the details of each Siri user were kept anonymous.

"They (the recordings) were about a few seconds long, occasionally we would hear personal data or snippets of conversations but mostly it would be Siri commands," the employee was quoted as saying.

Contractors working for Globetech, a Cork-based firm, regularly listened to more than 1,000 recordings from Siri each shift, according to the former employee.

These details were revealed after a whistleblower last month told the Guardian that Apple contractors worldwide regularly heard medical information, drug deals, sensitive business deals and recordings of people having sex picked up by Siri, the report said.

Apple users reportedly had no prior knowledge that their Siri recordings were listened to. After details of the practice came to light, Apple suspended transcription and grading work on Siri recordings last month.

"Apple is committed to customer privacy and made the decision to suspend Siri grading while we conduct a thorough review of our processes. We're working closely with our partners as we do this to ensure the best possible outcome for our suppliers, their employees and our customers around the world," a spokesperson for Apple was quoted as saying by the Irish Examiner.