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.
How long does Apple store all of this stuff, and who gets a look at it? Well, the company doesn't actually say. Again, from the user
agreement: "By using Siri or Dictation, you agree and consent to Apple's and its subsidiaries' and agents' transmission, collection,
maintenance, processing, and use of this information, including your voice input and User Data, to provide and improve Siri,
Dictation, and other Apple products and services."
Because some of the data that Siri collects can be very personal, the American Civil Liberties Union put out a warning about Siri just
a couple of months ago.
Privacy was always a big concern for Siri's developers, says Edward Wrenbeck, the lead developer of the original Siri iPhone app, which
was eventually acquired by Apple. And for corporate users, there are even more potential pitfalls. "Just having it known that you're at
a certain customer's location might be in violation of a non-disclosure agreement," he says.
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0BidtqMXEak" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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.
How long does Apple store all of this stuff, and who gets a look at it? Well, the company doesn't actually say. Again, from the user
agreement: "By using Siri or Dictation, you agree and consent to Apple's and its subsidiaries' and agents' transmission, collection,
maintenance, processing, and use of this information, including your voice input and User Data, to provide and improve Siri,
Dictation, and other Apple products and services."
Because some of the data that Siri collects can be very personal, the American Civil Liberties Union put out a warning about Siri just
a couple of months ago.
Privacy was always a big concern for Siri's developers, says Edward Wrenbeck, the lead developer of the original Siri iPhone app, which
was eventually acquired by Apple. And for corporate users, there are even more potential pitfalls. "Just having it known that you're at
a certain customer's location might be in violation of a non-disclosure agreement," he says.
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0BidtqMXEak" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
