IBM bans Apple's Siri. Concerns about intrusiveness and security breaches.

[SeaKing]

IBM bans Apple's Siri from its Networks because of concerns about intrusiveness and possible breaches of security.


Wired Magazine
IBM Outlaws Siri, Worried She Has Loose Lips

By Robert McMillan
Email Author
May 22, 2012 |

"If you work for IBM, you can bring your iPhone to work, but forget about using the phone’s voice-activated digital assistant. Siri isn’t welcome on Big Blue’s networks.

The reason? Siri ships everything you say to her to a big data center in Maiden, North Carolina. And the story of what really happens to all of your Siri-launched searches, e-mail messages and inappropriate jokes is a bit of a black box.

IBM CIO Jeanette Horan told MIT’s Technology Review this week that her company has banned Siri outright because, according to the magazine, “The company worries that the spoken queries might be stored somewhere.”

It turns out that Horan is right to worry. In fact, Apple’s iPhone Software License Agreement spells this out: “When you use Siri or Dictation, the things you say will be recorded and sent to Apple in order to convert what you say into text,” Apple says. Siri collects a bunch of other information — names of people from your address book and other unspecified user data, all to help Siri do a better job."

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[teh603]

Finally, someone stands up to Apple. Unfortunately, it had to be another tech giant and a former rival.

[tubemonkey]

Soon, Siri will have a sibling - Viri (video searches and monitoring).

Turn the video off, Viri.

I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.

[RainingLemur]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Soon, Siri will have a sibling - Viri (video searches and monitoring).

Turn the video off, Viri.

I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.

Complete with your own personal iMonolith.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by RainingLemur

Complete with your own personal iMonolith.

[elcreative]

So everybody wants siri to give them a useful and appropriate answer but doesn't want siri to have the data to make this possible...

for the

[taustin]

Originally Posted by elcreative

So everybody wants siri to give them a useful and appropriate answer but doesn't want siri to have the data to make this possible...

for the

Everyone? No. I don't want to talk to computers, at all, ever. Especially since it's not, apparently, actually all that accurate at voice input (they're already being sued for over-hyping the capabilities, after all).

But yeah, there's a point there. If you want the results, you have to give up the data.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by elcreative

So everybody wants siri to give them a useful and appropriate answer but doesn't want siri to have the data to make this possible...

for the

Actually the problem is the fact that Apple gets to keep a list of what you were looking for.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by taustin

Everyone? No. I don't want to talk to computers, at all, ever.

[5thWiggle]

Just banning Siri? I guess the tech wizards at IBM don't realize that Android's Voice input works exactly the same way and can be used for emails as well. They better outlaw the use of Google's Chrome browser as well.

http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/privacy.html

•If you use the Translate feature of Chrome, it will send the text you choose to be translated to Google for translation.
•If you use the Spellcheck feature of Chrome, which lets you use the same technology used in Google search to check your spelling, it will send the text you type to Google for spelling and grammar suggestions.
•If you use the speech input feature of Chrome, it will send Google an audio recording of your spoken query, your default browser language and the grammar settings of the web page for which you are using speech input. Google will use this information to convert the recorded audio into text. If you have enabled usage statistics and crash reports and you use the speech input feature, additional information will be sent to Google. This information includes the URL of the website using speech input, your operating system, and the manufacturer and model of the computing device and audio hardware you are using.

Originally Posted by taustin

Everyone? No. I don't want to talk to computers, at all, ever.

ahh, c'mon. Even Scotty talked to computers!



ETA: Dang, the Monkey beat me to it!

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

Actually the problem is the fact that Apple gets to keep a list of what you were looking for.

So you'd prefer to wait every time, you query if mom's sent the recipe, while it downloads your contacts to ascertain who mum is (and her address) and if she's put anything in your mail etc. etc. etc... even more

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by elcreative

So you'd prefer to wait every time, you query if mom's sent the recipe, while it downloads your contacts to ascertain who mum is (and her address) and if she's put anything in your mail etc. etc. etc... even more

Android lets you know when you receive an email. No need to check it separately.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by 5thWiggle

ahh, c'mon. Even Scotty talked to computers!



ETA: Dang, the Monkey beat me to it!

...I'm on a roll today. I just finished drying a batch of banana peels and the stuff is A1

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Soon, Siri will have a sibling - Viri (video searches and monitoring).

Turn the video off, Viri.

I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

Android lets you know when you receive an email. No need to check it separately.

And that is of what relevance to iOS-based products and, in particular, the subject of this thread - siri?

In any case I believe iPhones do the same... what I was refering to was an example used in the TV advertising which actually refers to the specific content of an email rather than a generic, "You've got mail"