Beware Microsoft Will Have Access To Your Private Skype Conversations

Cortana, Microsoft’s digital assistant currently integrated with Windows 10, is in the news for reading private Skype conversations.

As we reported earlier, Cortana is on its way to Skype and while everyone was initially delighted, security concerns seem to have dampened spirits. This is what the Skype team has to say about the new Cortana integration:

The introduction goes on to say:

With Cortana’s in-context assistance, it’s easier to keep your conversations going by having Cortana suggest useful information based on your chat, like restaurant options or movie reviews. And if you’re in a time crunch? Cortana also suggests smart replies, allowing you to respond to any message quickly and easily — without typing a thing.

This means that Cortana has access to your private conversations, which is unnerving since services like Skype are often used for personal/business processes, so it is scary to imagine the consequence of that data falling into the wrong hands.

Cortana can also help you organize your day — no need to leave your conversations. Cortana can detect when you’re talking about scheduling events or things you have to do and will recommend setting up a reminder, which you will receive on all your devices that have Cortana enabled. So, whether you’re talking about weekend plans or an important work appointment, nothing will slip through the cracks.

If you want to keep your conversations private, install one of these tools to do so. Also, if you often rely on Cortana to complete daily tasks, try installing one of these Cortana alternatives.

Despite this, every digital assistant, including Google’s Assistant and Apple’s Siri, have access to this kind of information and usually ask users permission before using the information. If you are a stickler for privacy, it’s probably better to avoid enabling Cortana altogether. If the convenience outweighs potential privacy issues you may have, use Cortana.

We are sure that Microsoft has taken the necessary steps to ensure the privacy of your data, so it is up to you to trust them or steer away from Cortana for Skype.