Consumer complaint received 2018-09-09
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem accessing account
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. (CA)

Complaint:
Dear CFPB, I would like to report a very serious and concerning issue of voice recognition, voice identification, and call recording that most companies do in some capacity or another during the course of conducting their business with customers. 

Last time it happened to me, I got very surprised by how it was done and I got really upset and angry because I felt that the company ( the bank ) violated my rights completely and it was very illegal, completely unjustified and wrong to say the least. 

I want you to look into this matter because you got to do something about it since it has gotten completely out of line, and I also want to always have a choice from now on when it comes to the recording of my private and sensitive conversations or having my voice recognized, analyzed and IDd by AI without serious and justified cause. 

I really want to ask for the immediate action on your behalf, because even though federal law may be interpreted to allow something like this, I know for a fact that California law is much stricter and I know that it's very right and very important to stop such illegal business practices. 

I'm mostly concerned about the use of artificial intelligence to analyze and ID my voice by the banks or other Fis and I reported one such incident in a case that you have on file ( # XXXX ). I'm not a criminal and I was always the law-abiding citizen, so unless there is a very good reason for this and it's done by the law enforcement to prevent criminal activity, you should not allow anyone, especially financial entities, to do it without my express consent and direct knowledge of such activities. 

I'm sure as the CFPB, you are well aware of all applicable laws when it comes to this, specifically regarding artificial intelligence voice recognition, voice analysis, and voice identification, so I'm pretty sure I don't need to send and explain to you all this in more details. 

You have to understand that in some cases I do not mind when my voice is being recorded during my conversations because I may actually want that for personal, business or legal reasons. However, I always want to have a choice at very least and I want to be expressly notified when it happens. 

I would really appreciate if you can do something about it because it has gotten out of control and I feel like nobody even cares anymore about following the law or upholding my civil rights, freedoms, and liberties given to me by the constitution for being a loyal citizen. 

You also have to understand that if I do not consent to a voice recording or conversation recording, I want to be able to contact each and every business via some other means such as email because I should not be denied the right to communicate with them if I need to. 

I think you should make sure that everyone in California does this and I'm sure that as the CFPB you should make sure that it's being done properly. 

In California, we have a lot of very rich people and a lot of movie stars, celebrities, e.t.c., so it's very easy to understand why we have stricter laws about recording calls and conversations since none of these people want to have their privacy violated in such a blatant and illegal way because of their status. I am certain that they do not want to have their private matters exposed because of bad practices since they are US citizens with rights just like anybody else. 

So please, I'm begging you, do something ASAP because I feel like I do not have any civil rights left in this country. I feel that I'm always being profiled and I do not have any privacy of any kind anymore. 

Thank you and if you need more explanations or more detailed statements from me that explain my concerns and the way I understand State and Federal laws, please let me know. 

I hope you know that all laws have to be reasonably understood by all citizens, and all laws have to be reasonable in general, so that even someone like myself who is severely XXXX and may have difficulty with that due to a limited access to legal system and legal aid, would have equal access to justice and legal protections. And last but not least, you should know that plain and simple meaning of all US laws can never be overridden by any other interpretations to allow and accommodate people like myself to protect their civil rights, freedoms, and liberties in this great country. 

Thank you very much and please let me know. I would be forever grateful for your help with this matter. 

If you can't or don't handle this kind of complaints, please forward it to the appropriate agency or department. I did inform CA AG about this but I want all other applicable organizations to get involved as well. 

Sincerely XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation