SpinVox
Encyclopedia
SpinVox is a subsidiary of global speech technology company Nuance Communications
, headquartered in Marlow
, UK and New York
, NY. It provides voice-to-text conversion services for carrier markets, including wireless, fixed, VoIP and cable, as well as for unified communications
, enterprise and Web 2.0 environments. This service is ostensibly provided through an automated computer system, with human intervention where needed. However there have been accusations that the system operates almost exclusively through the use of call-center workers in South Africa
and the Philippines
.
In September 2009, Invesco Perpetual
stated that it had written down the value of its investment in the company by 90% and that Spinvox was for sale. SpinVox was sold to US company Nuance Communications
for $103 million (£64 million) in December 2009.
have claimed that "spinvox is offering something that is impossible to deliver now" Patent applications filed by the company in 2004 and 2008 note that "because human operators are used instead of machine transcription, voicemails are converted accurately, intelligently, appropriately and succinctly into text messages"
In 2009 SpinVox also acquired New Zealand based company Aangel Messaging, in the process gaining its second patent, 'Method and System of processing messages' which clearly outlines how Human transcribers can be efficiently used in real time transcription of voice messages.
SpinVox voice-to-text conversion services include voicemail-to-text, speak-a-text, blog
posts, social network
updates, blast and memo messages. SpinVox also operates an open API to enable any developer to create speech-to-text based Web or mobile applications.
technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones
alleged that the company transfers voicemail data out of the European Union
to call centres in South Africa
and the Philippines
, in breach of its entry on the UK Register of data controllers
, and that most of the transcription is done by humans rather than software. SpinVox admitted that "parts of messages can be sent to a 'conversion expert'", but also claimed that "the part sent is anonymised so that there is no way of tracking back a particular number or person".
SpinVox responded to allegations and stated that the company was in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998. In a statement, the company said that the act permitted the processing of data outside of the EEA .
Nuance Communications
Nuance Communications is a multinational computer software technology corporation, headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA, that provides speech and imaging applications...
, headquartered in Marlow
Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Marlow is a town and civil parish within Wycombe district in south Buckinghamshire, England...
, UK and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, NY. It provides voice-to-text conversion services for carrier markets, including wireless, fixed, VoIP and cable, as well as for unified communications
Unified communications
Unified communications is the integration of real-time communication services such as instant messaging , presence information, telephony , video conferencing, data sharing , call control and speech recognition with non-real-time communication services such as unified...
, enterprise and Web 2.0 environments. This service is ostensibly provided through an automated computer system, with human intervention where needed. However there have been accusations that the system operates almost exclusively through the use of call-center workers in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Company history
The company was founded in 2003 by Christina Domecq and Daniel Doulton. The company has raised $200 million in funding . The most recent accounts for the company, those of 2007, stated that the company made a loss of £36 million against £2 million of revenue . In July 2009, in response to cash-flow problems it asked staff to take all or part of their salaries in stock to reduce costs, newspaper reports claimed that many employees are owed salary payments and that Associated Networks Ltd was considering legal action over unpaid server charges , while other reports claimed that multiple companies were owed money for services rendered and were taking legal action . In August 2009, a dossier, alleging financial irregularities, was circulated to shareholders , leading to the company launching an inquiry into the activities of some senior executives .Unaudited accounts for 2008 show the group’s pre-tax loss widened to £49m compared with £37m a year earlierIn September 2009, Invesco Perpetual
Invesco Perpetual
Invesco Perpetual is an investment company based in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England.-Description and history:It was originally founded by Sir Martyn Arbib as Perpetual Mutual and then Perpetual plc...
stated that it had written down the value of its investment in the company by 90% and that Spinvox was for sale. SpinVox was sold to US company Nuance Communications
Nuance Communications
Nuance Communications is a multinational computer software technology corporation, headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA, that provides speech and imaging applications...
for $103 million (£64 million) in December 2009.
Technology
The Voice Message Conversion System (VMCS) works by combining speech technologies with live learning capabilities and human intelligence. It is developed by the SpinVox Advanced Speech Group based in Cambridge, UK, led by Cambridge academic entrepreneur Dr. Tony Robinson and includes Cambridge University Professor Phil Woodland. The company currently supports the following languages: English; French, Spanish, German, Italian and Portuguese. Parent companies such as Nuance CommunicationsNuance Communications
Nuance Communications is a multinational computer software technology corporation, headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA, that provides speech and imaging applications...
have claimed that "spinvox is offering something that is impossible to deliver now" Patent applications filed by the company in 2004 and 2008 note that "because human operators are used instead of machine transcription, voicemails are converted accurately, intelligently, appropriately and succinctly into text messages"
In 2009 SpinVox also acquired New Zealand based company Aangel Messaging, in the process gaining its second patent, 'Method and System of processing messages' which clearly outlines how Human transcribers can be efficiently used in real time transcription of voice messages.
SpinVox voice-to-text conversion services include voicemail-to-text, speak-a-text, blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
posts, social network
Social network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
updates, blast and memo messages. SpinVox also operates an open API to enable any developer to create speech-to-text based Web or mobile applications.
Data protection issues
A 2009 investigation by the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones
Rory Cellan-Jones
Nicholas Rory Cellan-Jones is a British journalist for BBC News, specializing in economics and technology. His brother is television director Simon Cellan-Jones.-Education:...
alleged that the company transfers voicemail data out of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
to call centres in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, in breach of its entry on the UK Register of data controllers
Register of data controllers
The Register of data controllers is a United Kingdom database under the control of the UK Information Commissioner's Office mandated by the UK Data Protection Act 1998 which records the name of the data controller and the purpose for the processing of the data processed by that controller within...
, and that most of the transcription is done by humans rather than software. SpinVox admitted that "parts of messages can be sent to a 'conversion expert'", but also claimed that "the part sent is anonymised so that there is no way of tracking back a particular number or person".
SpinVox responded to allegations and stated that the company was in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998. In a statement, the company said that the act permitted the processing of data outside of the EEA .