The YouTubers Union Is Not Messing Around (5 minute read)
The YouTubers Union has joined forces with IG Metall, Europe's largest trade union, and launched FairTube. Due to demands by advertisers, YouTube has demonetized or removed videos from channels due to unclear rules about content. YouTube has been inconsistent with its rules and its communications to content creators. Content creators are now making less money, have less stability, and risk being demonetized for putting out the wrong type of content. FairTube is asking for fairness, transparency, better communication, and for YouTubers to have a say when it comes to decision making. FairTube plans to use Europe's General Data Protection Regulation and establish that the categorizations for creators constitute personal data in order to make YouTube agree to their requests.
Apple contractors 'regularly hear confidential details' on Siri recordings (4 minute read)
Apple outsources its quality control for the Siri voice assistant. The contractors' role is to grade the recordings to see whether the voice activation was deliberate or accidental, whether the query was something Siri could handle, and whether Siri's response was appropriate. Less than one percent of recordings are used for quality control, but contractors report regularly hearing confidential details. Accidental voice activation occurs most on the Apple Watch and HomePods. While the recordings are anonymized prior to being sent out, there are few controls over the data once it reaches the contractor. There is no mention that customer recordings may be sent to third parties in Apple's privacy policies.