Real-time conversations on Microsoft Corp.’s Skype are sometimes listened to by contractors, according to an investigation by Motherboard published Wednesday.

Internal documents, screenshots and audio recordings acquired by Motherboard reveal that personal conversations were sometimes eavesdropped on by human staff in order to analyze how the app’s translation software was working. Microsoft said on the Skype website that audio calls might be analyzed, but it doesn’t explicitly say humans could be on the other end of the line.

Some of those audio recordings acquired by Motherboard were intimate in nature, with some people talking about personal matters such as relationships and weight loss. “The fact that I can even share some of this with you shows how lax things are in terms of protecting user data,” said one contractor who spilled the beans to Motherboard.

That same contractor went on to say that at least once he listened in to people having phone sex, and while listening to Cortana commands heard people searching for pornography and at times telling the voice assistant their full address.

The contractors didn’t, however, have access to the identity of each user. Still, the worker added, “if Microsoft users were aware that random people sitting at home in their pajamas who could be joking online with friends about the stuff they just heard that they wouldn’t like that.”

“Microsoft collects voice data to provide and improve voice-enabled services like search, voice commands, dictation or translation services,” the company said in a statement about the issue. “We strive to be transparent about our collection and use of voice data to ensure customers can make informed choices about when and how their voice data is used. Microsoft gets customers’ permission before collecting and using their voice data.”

Microsoft also said that it makes it clear in the Skype Translator FAQ and documentation on Cortana that audio will be analyzed. It added that it has nondisclosure agreements with vendors and their employees, while also adhering to the privacy standards of European law.

The crux of the issue, though, is users may not have been aware it was humans doing the listening and not artificial intelligence. As some have pointed out, perhaps tech companies need to make it clearer to customers that humans could be secretly listening in.

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