Microsoft notes that Cortana sends Recordings to ReviewersByBill Toulas-August 8, 2019.230 Microsoft Cortana tracks what you’re doing and sends it to human reviewers. The company claims they need the recordings to help deliver better translations for their Ai. As it seems these smart assistants created by tech behemoths are eavesdropping us to capture what we say without being called by the user and then give the recordings to human testers who help the Ai understand what we say better. Last month we tapped on Google Assistant’s findings quietly recordingSiri was caught doing the exact same thing to justify why we shouldn’t think about it. Microsoft Cortana is reportedly listening to conversations with the aim of getting something better in voice translation than Skype and Cortana are currently specifically offering. This however only happens after the user has received permission from Microsoft to do so. The audio recording reviewers are also contractors and not tech giant employees an aspect which adds the same unnecessary risk and uncertainty we have with Google and Apple. As Microsoft points out in its statement: “Microsoft is collecting voice data to provide and enhance voice-enabled services such as dictation search voice commands or translation services. To ensure that consumers can make informed choices about when and how their voice data is used, we aim to be open about our collection and use of voice data. Microsoft obtains permission from consumers before their voice data is collected and used. We have put in place several protocols designed to protect the privacy of users before sharing this data with our vendors including de-identifying data requiring non-disclosure agreements with vendors and their employees and requiring vendors to comply with the high standards of privacy laid down in European legislation. We continue to review the way we treat voice data to ensure that we make consumer choices as transparent as possible and provide strong privacy security. “Of course, Microsoft says that all suppliers and maintenance providers have signed stringent privacy protection agreements and confidentiality is not concerned. This is exactly what Apple said about its own contractors, but to people it still doesn’t sound quite convincing. This is why if you don’t want to be a part of it anymore, Microsoft gives clear guidance on how to opt out of their recording and research system. You can do so via the permission settings of Cortana, or you can clear your data by accessing the privacy dashboard of your account. Note the part in the following screenshot that depicts Cortana Permissions / Speech Privacy settings that says “helping to improve Microsoft products and services” Do they not explain that this means listening to your recordings by real people? Common royal battle game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is currently on sale for Amazon Uk’s Xbox One version. PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds physical copy is priced at £ 14.99, instead of the normal £ 24.99. The physical copy doesn’t come with a disk but contains Pubg stickers and a game download code. For anyone who is a gamer, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds need no introduction. Last year, the battle royale game took the world by storm with its large-scale maps and realistic fighting on Pc and the Xbox One. The game features huge maps that accommodate up to one hundred players in a match that competes with each other for the ultimate chicken dinner prize. There is no sort of Dlc in the game but it comes with microtransactions involving cosmetic loot boxes. Players can either grind for currency in the game, or pay for boxes with real money. You can take a £ 10 discount off the regular £ 24.99 price, and get a copy of the game right now for just £ 15. The game’s ‘ real ‘ copy doesn’t include a game-file disk. Instead you’ll get a digital code that you can redeem along with some free stickers thrown into the kit on your Xbox One console. Figure 2 Microsoft Image Courtesy The game currently offers two maps, and a third will soon be added. Players can play solo with a friend, or a four-person squad. However, no matter which mode you play, the number of players in a map is limited to 100. The performance of the game leaves a little to be desired but the performance and reliability have been improving with steady updates rolling in for the Xbox Version. Similar to the regular Xbox One or the Xbox One S, the Xbox One X X benefits from its superior hardware. It comes with Hdr support and you can connect the console to a 4 K monitor for beautiful graphs. When it comes to performance and updates, the game lags behind the Pc version but once the game goes out of early access the release patch will fix any major performance problems or bugs. In case you want to join today’s bandwagon your chance to grab the game for just £ 24.99.