![]() ![]() A quick survey of online services finds few mentions of data security, leaving potential users to either make a guess or abandon any concern regarding confidentiality. There are plenty of other online translation services, and dozens of translation apps. Though few of us ever read a company’s terms of use, both Google Translate and Microsoft Translator, by way of example, say in their legal notices that the use of their services entitles the company to, as Microsoft puts it, “copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce, edit, translate and reformat your Submission.“ Google’s terms are much the same, with an added caveat that users should, “Make sure you have the necessary rights to grant us this license for any content that you submit to our Services.” Do a company’s employees really possess such rights? While has garnered all the headlines, the confidentiality of translated content is a far wider concern than simply this one company. Are other online translation tools and apps safe? ![]() ![]() In all instances, full names, emails, phone numbers, and other highly sensitive data were revealed.” Alarmed about the impact of such sensitive information being so readily accessible, the Oslo Stock Exchange blocked access to and Google Translate as well.Īccording to Slator, responded to the crisis in a blog post (which has now been taken down) saying, “There was a clear note on our homepage stating: ‘All translations will be sent to our community to improve accuracy’ and that ‘some of these requests were indexed by search engines such as Google and Microsoft at that time.” The company further suggested that users with privacy concerns could email and request the removal of specific items of content from the company’s servers. Tekna (The Norwegian Society of Graduate Technical and Scientific Professionals) performed a handful of simple Google searches to assess the scope of the problem, and they were stunned by the results: “When we sat down and googled we just thought: ‘Wow! What is this?’ This was information from organizations, private companies, government agencies.”Īmong the alarming search hits were “notices of dismissal, plans of workforce reductions and outsourcing, passwords, code information and contracts.” Slator performed their own Google searches and found a jaw-dropping amount of information freely available, including “a physician’s email exchange with a global pharmaceutical company on tax matters, late payment notices, a staff performance report of a global investment bank, and termination letters. Employees at state-run oil company Statoil discovered that text translated at the site “could be found by anyone conducting a search,” according to NRK. It’s a troubling story for anyone using online translation tools and app translators. In September 2017, a massive data breach at was exposed by NRK, a Norwegian news agency. Without a Security and Confidentiality policy in place, this kind of behavior is extremely risky. Don DePalma of Common Sense Advisory (CSA Research) puts it simply: “Both your employees and your suppliers are unconsciously conspiring to broadcast your confidential information, trade secrets, and intellectual property to the world.” And, says DePalma, about 62% of employees estimate that their colleagues use online translators for business materials. However, what many people don’t realize is just how public - and searchable - online translations can be. Are you trusting online translation tools with sensitive information? Google Translate says more than 500 million people use its free online translation service - to the tune of 100 billion words each day. ![]()
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