The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information issued an administrative procedure against Google over its evaluation of audio recordings gathered from smart devices. Google discussed the issue in a blog post in July. Employees were found to have listened to and transcribed audio recordings in order to analyze whether the data was properly processed by artificial intelligence systems. According to the DPA, the employees were able to access personal information — some of it sensitive — through its activities, which the agency found violates the EU General Data Protection Regulation. As part of the procedure, the agency has told Google to stop the audio evaluations for three months. Google told the commissioner it will comply with the order. The agency has also invited other tech companies to review their own processes to ensure the appropriate measures are in place.
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