For a long time, transcription was a painstaking manual process that involved individuals listening, taking notes, confirming, and typing for prolonged hours. As technology rapidly evolved, various tools have streamlined the process to be more efficient. Professional transcription services employ these tools alongside human skills to deliver highly accurate transcriptions.
Nonetheless, it is quite concerning for a total stranger to listen to every bit of your conversation and provide a detailed transcript. In a time when personal data holds significant value, it is crucial to understand the safety and privacy concerns of online transcription services.
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Understanding How Online Transcription Services Work
You probably think of Siri or Google Translate when you hear about transcription. While that is one kind of transcription, there are others: computer-driven services, human services, and a combination of both.
In a nutshell, transcription involves converting audio into text by breaking down spoken words and matching the results with known language elements. Unlike computer-driven services, human services don’t have to rely on complex algorithms to match the sometimes inaccurate phonemes. Instead, they utilize highly skilled individuals that understand natural language and accents and use cognitive power to deliver accurate transcripts.
The Negative Aspects of Online Transcription Services
Transcription services have a tainted past involving scandals and data breaches that undermine privacy and security. These instances remind you of the dangers of trusting a person or company with your personal information. The worst known scandals are perhaps SpinVox and MEDantex.
SpinVox is arguably the most shocking data breach scandal in the history of online transcription services. The company had achieved a technological marvel by running a service that converted voicemail into short message service (SMS). The service attracted many customers and investors.
However, the company kept a well-hidden secret about its services. It outsourced nearly 98% of its staff from countries like South Africa, Pakistan, and Mauritius. Surprisingly, it exploited these workers by failing to pay their wages, prompting a protest. They sent direct messages to customers requesting them to join in the retaliation. The magnitude of the scandal led to the collapse of SpinVox.
The MEDantex incident involved a data breach in the medical field. The company offered transcription services to health professionals. A cybersecurity journalist discovered the data breach in which one could easily download sensitive medical transcripts from an insecure portal.
A most recent case of breach of privacy involved Google transcription services. It was discovered that Google contractors could track conversations between users and Google Assistant without their knowledge. Since most people use the service for their smart homes, the contractors could even listen to intimate conversations. These breaches raise the question of whether you should trust the safety of these online transcription services.
Should You Trust the Safety of Online Transcription Services?
There is no straightforward answer to whether you can trust the safety of online transcription platforms. While the transcription space has significantly improved, it is not an indication to blindly entrust your data to anyone.
Nonetheless, when you hand over your data to a third party, you rely on them to safeguard your privacy and security. This trust applies to human and computer-driven transcription services. Before selecting a provider, you should always determine if it deserves your confidence.
Before choosing an online transcription service, it is worth conducting background research about the company. Look out for its reputation to know how established it is in the industry. Check for any previous malpractices and whether the firm has clear privacy and security policies.
Computer-driven transcription services have a high risk of privacy and security breach as determined by quality control checks. Furthermore, they might listen to your sensitive conversations using smart home devices. Therefore, it is worthwhile to source reputable human online transcription services like GoTranscript, which are regulated by the law. Besides, professional transcribers understand jargon and accents, delivering highly accurate transcriptions. Alternatively, if the task at hand contains highly sensitive materials, you are better off doing the transcriptions on your own.
Conclusion
Even though there are many transcription services available online, you must pick a well-regulated and trusted one to prevent insecurities and privacy breaches. If you’re looking for confidentiality and high accuracy of transcripts, always go for human transcription services over machines.