You are on a business trip and you speak into your iPhone, using its Siri voice search or dictation functionality, to send a message to your lover or to search for a clandestine place to meet.
Or perhaps you use the Siri functionality to hunt for a new job or to meet with a colleague about a highly confidential project.
Well, a bunch of stuff which you tell Siri, or ask it to dictate, gets converted to text and sent to Apple's servers, where it is stored for an indeterminate duration, according to the Apple iOS Software License agreement.
"All of this data is used to help Siri and Dictation understand you better and recognize what you say," the agreement says.
That may be good for Apple, and for Siri's functionality, but IBM, for one, is having none of it.
IBM has barred employees from using Siri on their iPhones if they bring them to work and use IBM's private networks, according to a variety of news outlets, including CNN.
And, this could be an issue for a lot of other corporations concerned about privacy and security, as well.
CNN points out that the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California notes that Siri collects lots of personal data, including the contacts in your address book, your songs and playlists, first name and nickname, and the names you give to your email accounts.
All of this is in addition to the content of the voice commands you give to Siri.
Thus, if you are concerned about your privacy, remember that Apple collects anything that you may whisper to Siri.
And, you can, of course, opt out of Siri if you wish.
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