2.7 Ensure 'Voice & Audio Activity' is set to Disabled

Information

Disable saving your voice and other audio to your Google Account.

Note: This setting is applicable only for Google Pixel range of devices.

Rationale:

Google records your voice and other audio when you use audio activations. Audio can be
saved even when your device is offline. When Voice & Audio Activity is off, voice inputs
won't be saved to your Google Account, even if you're signed in. Instead, they may only be
saved using anonymous identifiers. This could be privacy-invasive and hence it is
recommended to disable this setting.

NOTE: Nessus has not performed this check. Please review the benchmark to ensure target compliance.

Solution

Follow the below steps to disable Voice & Audio Activity setting:

1. Tap Settings Gear Icon.
2. Tap Google.
3. Scroll to the Services section.
4. Tap Search.
5. Scroll to the Search section.
6. Tap Accounts & privacy.
7. Tap Google Activity Controls.
8. Toggle Voice & Audio Activity setting to Off position.

Impact:

You might not get personalized user experience.

Default Value:

By default, Voice & Audio Activity setting is enabled.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/2076