Mr. Dale Sunderland:

That may be correct. Every platform has different ways of using data. There is no ubiquity in that regard. Generally, the transcript of what one says is used to provide what one asked for. For example, if one asks Siri what the weather is in Dublin, that voice recording is transcribed into text, which is put through the company's systems to provide the information sought. The company may then deduce that the user is interested in weather or, if the user asks about a holiday, that he or she is interested in a certain type of holiday. An inference could be drawn that the user is interested in a particular matter. If one's settings allow targeted advertising, the information recorded would be used to inform the selection of advertisements one may see on one's smart device. One could be using a home assistant and receive targeted advertisements on another device because it is joined up in the background of the platforms. We want to see more user choice regarding and control over those settings. Some platforms now allow users to turn off the collection or recording of web and app activity such that the information is not used to build a profile. Some companies are introducing deletion controls to allow users to delete audio data. Previously drawn inferences are cleared and the slate is wiped clean.

The challenge for us in terms of our educational work as a regulator is how to educate users better on the choices that exist as well as driving higher levels of user choice and transparency. We need to ensure users engage with the settings in a time and space that suits them. Making decisions on all of the settings while signing up to something does not always work because the user wishes to get to the end service.