Online transcripts of conversations can fall into the wrong hands

We have arrived in a time where we take access to and use of online services for granted. Every day we exchange messages with each other, watch films on Netflix or Amazon Prime and read news in online magazines. Normally we assume that this will not have major consequences, but many services have now gained a great deal of power over us.

A reminder that not all content we generate has to be private is now coming from the United States. The Politico magazine interviewed the Uyghur human rights activist Mustafa Aksu and recorded the content using the online service Otter.ai. This is a digital recording device that makes content available in the cloud.

This in itself is not suspicious as there are dozens of apps out there these days that offer something similar, but Mustafa Aksu’s case is nonetheless special. Because as a Uyghur activist, you like to have the Chinese government on your heels. One reason Politico took notice when Otter.ai conducted a poll the next day.

It was asked what the reason for the conversation with Aksu was, so the magazine took a closer look at the terms and conditions of the service. And indeed: Since Otter.ai is an American company, it can simply release the records to investigative authorities in the event of a court order.

This fact is nothing new now, as most of us should know that content on American servers is not necessarily private. But the sudden survey after such a sensitive conversation makes you think. An unfortunate coincidence, as Otter.ai announced.

Because the manufacturer regularly runs surveys in its tool in order to be able to improve the software in the long term. The activist’s name was mentioned because it appeared in the title of the conversation. While there’s nothing wrong with that, the company apologized and promised to turn off the polling feature. Nevertheless, each of us should always keep in mind who we disclose our data to.

Via The Verge