Hey Apple, Keep Our Conversations Private
The new Apple watches have some new (read: sus) features. They include an “always listening” feature that allows watches record, transcribe, and summarize everything around a wearer.
This is an incredible expansion of surveillance that will impact everyone. Tell Apple we don’t want this: get rid of this tool of constant, invasive surveillance.
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Apple is pushing the new reality that tech is always listening with the new features on its latest watches. Live Rewind transcribes the previous 15 seconds of speech on demand while Siri Recap runs all day and makes summaries later. Live Rewind announces itself with a chime, animation and microphone indicator, but there’s no notice for when Siri Recap is enabled.
Apple says the audio is not “recorded” or stored and all content is encrypted so even Apple can’t access it. However, details recorded by the user from conversations around them can still carry incredibly personal and private information. The wearer can save transcribed notes from their watch without anyone knowing or having a the option to consent. That means every lunch date, work conversation, or even healthcare appointment can be recapped or summarised on someone’s watch. This will have massive impacts on our privacy.
Although Apple claims these features are “opt-in”, the only person who can actually make the choice is the person wearing the Apple Watch. Everyone else around the wearer doesn’t have a choice. Apple has said that it doesn’t create or store audio recordings and that the raw audio isn’t accessible, even to Apple. It also doesn’t identify or attribute the speakers, and protects the generated transcripts and recaps with end-to-end encryption. But this is not enough.
We should not have to wonder whether our everyday conversations are being captured, summarized, or turned into notes every time someone nearby is wearing a smartwatch. Sign the petition to demand Apple devices stop listening in on our conversations.