Social network said contractors listened to audio to make sure its AI transcribing tools were working properly
Facebook’s privacy woes continue. In a Tuesday report by Bloomberg, the social media giant admitted that it has been paying contractors to transcribe users’ conversations — a practice it said it stopped “more than a week ago.”
The company told Bloomberg it had only been transcribing audio from users who had selected an option to transcribe voice conversations on Messenger; Facebook said it had its contractors check whether its artificial intelligence tools were transcribing conversations correctly and that it didn’t reveal the identity of users to its contractors.
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Some contractors, according to Bloomberg, found the practice “unethical” since the company had not told users that outside parties may review their audio. It’s unclear how many users were impacted.
Also Read: Facebook Weathers Another Regulatory Storm: Does It Matter?
Facebook did not respond to TheWrap asking how long the practice had taken place and if the company planned to revisit it in the future.
Facebook’s stock dropped 2.75% an hour into trading on Wednesday, hitting $183.25 per share.
The company, like many others in recent weeks, has taken a dip as the U.S-China trade battle continues. The stock market was down across the board on Wednesday morning, with the Dow Jones dropping more than 450 points on Wednesday morning.
The news comes just weeks after Facebook paid the Federal Trade Commission $5 billion — the biggest fine in FTC history — to settle an investigation into several privacy issues in the last year. Facebook was rocked by multiple data scandals in 2018, including its admission political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica had accessed the profile information of 87 million unwitting users; the firm later used the data to craft political campaigns during the 2016 presidential election. Facebook was rocked again last December, after The New York Times reported it gave dozens of corporate partners, including Netflix and Spotify, privileged access to user data for years.
10 Most Shocking Russian Troll Posts on Facebook and Instagram, From Hillary Clinton to Police Brutality (Photos)
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House Intelligence Committee
The U.S. House Intelligence Committee on Thursday released more than 3,500 advertisements and posts spread by Russian trolls before and after the 2016 U.S. election. Below is a look at 10 of the most shocking examples that stood out from Congress's reveal.
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House Intelligence Committee
Many posts pushed the narrative that Hillary Clinton would confiscate guns if she were elected President.
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House Intelligence Committee
This graphic meme painted cops as KKK members attacking a young black child.
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House Intelligence Committee
Only "sissies" and other undesirables wouldn't support Donald Trump, many of the memes said.
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House Intelligence Committee
President Obama was a "pawn" and "traitor" in the hands of "Arabian Sheikhs," said one 2016 ad.
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House Intelligence Committee
The "Black Matters US" page touched on hot button issues like police shootings.
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House Intelligence Committee
The "Army of Jesus" page shared a bible verse, along with this meme.
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House Intelligence Committee
Russian trolls also used Instagram to spread sponsored political memes.
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House Intelligence Committee
The "Blacktivist" page routinely shared memes on Colin Kaepernick and other football players kneeling during the national anthem.
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House Intelligence Committee
"Heart of Texas" routinely posted on "Killary Rotten Clinton," and threatened to secede from the union if she won the election.
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House Intelligence Committee
The "Being Patriotic" page labeled ex-cons as "Obama voters."
Congress just released 3,500 posts touching on a myriad of topics
The U.S. House Intelligence Committee on Thursday released more than 3,500 advertisements and posts spread by Russian trolls before and after the 2016 U.S. election. Below is a look at 10 of the most shocking examples that stood out from Congress's reveal.
Sean Burch
Tech reporter • sean.burch@thewrap.com • @seanb44