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Summary

The speaker shares an unexpected discovery made while using Google Takeout, where they downloaded their data and found old voice recordings and transcriptions from 2009, including personal arguments. They express concern over the privacy implications of such data logging without user awareness. The talk also covers the development of a local AI-based keyboard and voice-to-text app that works offline, offering better privacy and accuracy than Google's offerings, and encourages the audience to try it out.

Takeaways

• 📦 Google Takeout is a service that allows users to download all the data Google has on them.
• 🎥 The speaker lost an archive of YouTube videos and used Google Takeout to retrieve them.
• 🗣️ Discovering transcriptions of past voice recordings, the speaker found arguments from 2009, highlighting the extent of data logging by Google.
• 🔍 Google's voice-to-text feature logs everything spoken into the phone, which can be unsettling if not expected.
• 😱 The realization that personal data, including sensitive conversations, is stored without the user's explicit knowledge.
• 📜 The speaker criticizes the lack of transparency in End User License Agreements (EULAs), which are often not read by users.
• 🛒 An example of EULA issues is given with Sony's online platform, where purchases are actually temporary licenses that can be revoked.
• 📱 The speaker discusses the privacy concerns with using Google's keyboard due to its data collection capabilities.
• 🌐 An alternative keyboard is introduced, which uses local AI to improve typing experience without needing to connect to the internet.
• 🚀 The alternative voice-to-text app is praised for being faster and more accurate than Google's, with the added benefit of offline functionality.
• 💡 The speaker encourages trying the new app for better privacy and control over personal data, emphasizing its robustness even in pre-alpha stage.

Q & A

What is Google Takeout?

Google Takeout is a service that allows users to download a copy of the data that Google has collected about them.

What did the speaker lose in 2019 and how did they attempt to recover it?

The speaker lost their archive of all YouTube videos. They attempted to recover it by downloading the videos directly from YouTube.

What unexpected discovery did the speaker make while using Google Takeout?

The speaker discovered a section called 'transcriptions' which contained recordings and transcriptions of personal conversations from 2009, including arguments with their girlfriend.

What feature of Google did the speaker learn was logging their voice inputs?

The speaker found out that Google's 'voice to text' feature was logging all the voice inputs they made on their phone.

Why did the speaker find the discovery of logged voice inputs creepy?

The speaker found it creepy because they were unaware that their voice inputs were being logged, and they had no way to find and delete this information from their account.

What is the term 'EULA roofying' mentioned by the speaker, and what does it refer to?

'EULA roofying' refers to the practice where companies bury important terms and conditions deep within End User License Agreements (EULAs) that users typically do not read, such as Sony's licensing terms for purchased content.

What issue did the speaker have with standard stock open source keyboards on Android devices?

The speaker found that standard stock open source keyboards on Android devices were less responsive and harder to use compared to Google's keyboard.

What solution did the speaker propose to address privacy concerns with voice to text features?

The speaker proposed a local AI-based voice to text solution that does not require an internet connection, ensuring user privacy and data security.

How does the local AI-based voice to text solution differ from Google's voice to text?

The local AI-based solution works offline, is faster and more accurate, and can automatically insert punctuation without the user having to specify it, unlike Google's voice to text.

What additional features does the local AI-based voice to text solution offer?

The solution allows users to add words to a personal dictionary for better recognition, and it can be used offline without compromising functionality.

What is the current status of the local AI-based voice to text solution according to the speaker?

The solution is in pre-alpha stage, but it is fully functional and works better than Google's voice to text, even without an internet connection.