GoKawiilTwo new Apple Watch features may see the device running up against privacy laws in multiple US states. That’s because the new Live Rewind and Siri Recap features audio-record conversations.
The devil is very much in the detail here, since neither feature makes audio recordings accessible to anyone, and it seems likely that the issue will need to be tested in the courts in order to set a new legal precedent …
Live Rewind and Siri Recap
Apple announced that the latest Apple Watch models support four new audio intelligence features that use the microphones built into the wearable devices:
Sound Recognition, to recognize sounds like doorbells and fire alarms
Music Recognition, powered by Shazam
Live Rewind, to transcribe what was just said if you missed it
Siri Recap, high-level summaries of conversations
It’s the latter two that create the potential privacy controversy, since they involve recording what both you and those around you are saying.
The law on audio recordings
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