If there’s a privacy concern when it comes to adult users of speech recognition technology, that concern is much greater when it comes to kids. Here are three reasons why:
Voice gives kids agency and allows them to learn and play in the most natural way possible – using their voices. But voice is another entry point to the internet, and we must be mindful of what we let our kids access, play, and digitally control when using their voices.
Voice data is a form of biometric data. It conveys more than just what was said. Voice data convey our identity, our emotions, our intentions, our environment, and certain health conditions. Even our socioeconomic and educational background can be inferred from our accents and dialects.
The data kids share on consumer platforms, be it voice data or otherwise, can be used to create profiles of them as individual consumers, and these profiles can follow them throughout their lifetime.
To learn more about the importance of protecting kids’ data privacy, read our interview with children’s data privacy expert Dr. Veronica Barassi.