Intuitive Privacy from Acoustic Reach: A Case for Networked Voice User-Interfaces

The effect that advances in voice interface technologies have on privacy has not yet received the attention it deserves. Systems in which multiple devices collaborate to provide a unified user-interface amplify those worries about privacy. We discuss ethical implications of voice enabled devices on privacy in typical scenarios at home, office, in a car and in the public. From our findings, it follows that the reach of voice can be exploited as a feature to intuitively define the extent of privacy. In particular, the acoustic reach of speech signals can serve as a feature for designing privacy-gentle voice user-interfaces which are intuitive to use. We argue that this approach poses reasonable technological requirements and establishes a natural experience of privacy which confirms intuitive perception.