Microsoft has gained the rights to technology that will censor speech.
A censoring filter, available in real-time or batch mode, processes an input audio stream that contains speech, then changes “undesired words or phrases” to make them unintelligible.
The software behemoth was awarded the patent on the 14th of October.
I guess the technology is intended to protect “virgin ears” should a naughty word slip out during a live broadcast. Or, if a telemarketer gets rude with a customer, it could be used to filter out the swear words. It’s not clear where Microsoft’s interest in this technology is, but the government of China will probably be all over it. They censor much of what their people see and hear on the internet.