Otter.ai Transcription Service, Widely Used By Journalists, Has Security Concerns

FriendlySolipsist writes: After using the Otter.ai automated transcription service for a recorded interview with an Uyghur human rights activist, Politico journalist Phelim Kine received a disturbing survey from the company asking the purpose of the interview. This was cause for alarm, as the Chinese government is known to aggressively persecute members of the oppressed ethnic and religious minority. Had Chinese intelligence somehow gained access to the recording? Otter eventually provided assurance they do not share uploaded data except pursuant to a valid U.S. subpoena, but journalists need to consider the risk of compromise. Otter does not even allow two-factor authentication except for upper-tier business accounts. "The Freedom of the Press Foundation report recommends that users protect the integrity of data that they commit to transcription app cloud servers with strong passwords and choosing providers that offer two-factor authentication," says Kine. "And it advises users to download and then delete their audio transcripts -- cutting and pasting it to another platform such as Word or Google docs -- to remove them from company servers to reduce exposure risk. But those are individual stopgap solutions in the absence of what cybersecurity experts say is a much-needed federal data privacy law that covers all corporate use of consumer data."

"Until those laws change, journalists and others who rely on transcription apps need to carefully consider the potential dangers."

If you upload something to some online service...

[ffkom]

... for processing (and thus not encrypted with a key only you know), you can already abandon all hope on your material not being stored, forwarded elsewhere and used for purposes against your interests. And it really makes little difference what service in what country it is.

If you can't trust otter.ai

[Krishnoid]

Then maybe they should try using anotter service. Wait a sec ... they're everywhere!

Do all processing on-device

[martynhare]

This is a no-brainer. We have ML-optimised silicon in our damned smartphones, why not use that instead of online services? It really does not cost a lot to pipe recorded audio through decent dictation software. We have come a long way since IBM ViaVoice

Re:

[bill_mcgonigle]

Can you recommended one that works? Google Voice Typing magically gets worse every year, for instance. For me it's no better than Naturally Speaking from the 90's as if ML never happened.

I love how Big Tech East is doing corporate espionage with volunteers. Terrificly clever.

Laws change?

[WoodstockJeff]

"Until those laws change, journalists and others who rely on transcription apps need to carefully consider the potential dangers."

The dangers exist whatever the laws say. Just because something is illegal doesn't mean people are going to shy away from doing it.

Laws are for the law-abiding.

2FA

[PPH]

Otter does not even allow two-factor authentication except for upper-tier business accounts.

So they support it, but restrict it's use. Seems odd. If they know that their user base consists of a lot of staff reporters working in sensitive areas. Perhaps they expect us to send Rupert Murdoch into war zones to conduct interviews just so he can use his exevutive 2FA. I'm sure he'll enjoy the rubber hose treatment.

WTF

[k2r]

I am feeling the urge to cause physical pain to journalists uploading interviews with vulnerable people to online services.