Alphabet Inc (GOOG)

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DID you know that Google has been recording you without your knowledge?
The technology giant has effectively turned millions of its users’ smartphones into listening devices that can capture intimate conversations — even when they aren’t in the room.

If you own an Android phone, it’s likely that you’ve used Google’s Assistant, which is similar to Apple’s Siri.


Google says it only turns on and begins recording when you utter the words “OK Google”.

But a Sun investigation has found that the virtual assistant is a little hard of hearing, reports The Sun.

In some cases, just saying “OK” in conversation prompted it to switch on your phone and record around 20 seconds of audio.

If you run Android softwar on your smartphone, Google may have been recording you every day without you knowing. Picture: Supplied.
If you run Android softwar on your smartphone, Google may have been recording you every day without you knowing.

It regularly switches on the microphone as you go about your day-to-day activities, none the wiser.

Once Google is done recording, it uploads the audio files to its computer servers — often dubbed “the cloud”.

These files are accessible from absolutely anywhere in the world — as long as you have an internet connection.

That means any device that is signed into your personal Gmail or Google account can access the library of your deepest, darkest secrets.

So if you’re on a laptop right now and signed into Gmail — you could have a listen.