Google’s new beta release of Chrome 25 also includes a little something for developers: a new text-to-speech API. The new tool will make it easier for developers to build Web apps with voice features. For example, Google suggests the API could enable voice controls for games or allow users to dictate email messages aloud.
Of course, voice controlled apps bring up new privacy and security concerns. The API specification says voice-enabled sessions should only begin after obtaining “explicit, informed user consent” and that any recording should carry an “obvious indication.”