Dictation and transcription
Windows Voice Typing privacy rating
Dictation feature built into Windows 11, opened with Windows key + H, that converts speech to text in any text field using Microsoft's online speech recognition.
Summary
Windows Voice Typing scores 13 out of 100 (grade F) on the dictation and transcription criteria. It meets 1 of 6 criteria: no training on recordings. It does not meet open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, independent audit and runs on the device. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act.
Score 13 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
- No
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No
No trackers or telemetry Weight 3 of 3
Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default?
Required Windows diagnostic data is sent to Microsoft and can only be turned off on Enterprise, Education and Server editions.
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No
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
Windows has an advertising ID, and Microsoft uses product usage data for personalized advertising.
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No
Independent audit Weight 2 of 3
Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years?
No independent audit is published.
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No
Runs on the device Weight 3 of 3
Is speech converted to text on the device, without sending audio to a server?
Voice typing uses online speech recognition powered by Azure Speech services and needs an internet connection.
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Yes
No training on recordings Weight 2 of 3
Are recordings and transcripts kept out of model training by default?
Voice clips are contributed for product improvement only if the user opts in; otherwise Microsoft does not store or sample the recordings.