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IBM headquarters is a Siri-free zone

Posted: , by Charlene S.

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IBM headquarters is a Siri-free zone
If you have a question for Siri, you better ask it outside of IBM’s territory because the digital assistant out of Cupertino is banned on their turf. MIT’s Technology Review got a chance to sit down with IBM chief information officer Jeanetter Horan to talk about IBM’s “bring your own device” policy and learned that IBM has bans on several popular pieces of software due to security concerns. In addition to Siri, iCloud and Dropbox are also not welcome in the workplace.

So what is IBM worried about? If you’re like most people you probably skip over those long terms of service agreements and just jump into the good stuff, but people like Horan have the job of reading through these legally binding clauses to determine what they actually mean and how it can impact their company. If you’ve ever used Siri, you’ve agreed to this:

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.
So, yes, you have given Apple the legal right to record your voice, save it to its servers, let it decide who gets to listen to it, and it can decide how long it need to keep it for. Oh, and it also collects other information from your device, such as names of people in your address book – in the name of making Siri better. Perhaps you really don’t care if your queries are limited to asking Siri how many beers your buddy can handle or where the nearest pizza joint is, but if you’re IBM, it’s obviously a big deal.

Siri-free zone ahead

Siri-free zone ahead

MIT’s Technology Review said IBM “worries that the spoken queries might be stored somewhere.” Horan admits that IBM’s security policies are “extraordinarily conservative,” but with the uncertainties around what data is being collected, who has access, and how it is being used, it seems that IBM is taking the cautious, yet smart route by banning Siri altogether.

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1. Sniggly posted on 23 May 2012, 11:17 8

In other words, this is no different than policies banning phones with cameras (or where the cameras have to be covered with resin). It may not be necessary, but I still approve.

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4. wp74ver (banned) posted on 23 May 2012, 11:47 1 16

Bro you don't have a life ,you always posting on everything you need to get you a girl real talk.

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5. Sniggly posted on 23 May 2012, 12:05 7

I love this assumption that because I'm a prolific poster here I somehow don't have time for a relationship.

Please, tell me more about what a Casanova you must be, aided by your relative lack of posts here and your atrocious spelling and grammar.

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6. iamcc posted on 23 May 2012, 12:07 7

Some of us have jobs that allow internet freedom.

It's fascinating.

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7. EclipseGSX posted on 23 May 2012, 12:18 8

says the loser with the screen name "windows phone 7 4ever"

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8. StringCheese01 posted on 23 May 2012, 12:47 3

LOL what a goon! Don't feed the trolls!

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12. Non_Sequitur posted on 23 May 2012, 16:43 1

It takes like five minutes to visit a website on your mobile phone and read/post a few things.

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2. mas11 posted on 23 May 2012, 11:22 4

So basically IBM is worried Apple will overhear important IBM information and steal it.

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3. dragonscourgex posted on 23 May 2012, 11:27 3

Wasn't the government up in arms over Google collecting data about people....wouldn't this be very similar to that?

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10. networkdood posted on 23 May 2012, 14:02

Yes, it would be, but you know how that goes....

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9. ilia1986 posted on 23 May 2012, 13:09 5 1

IBM. Doing something right by opposing Apple ever since 1982. :)

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11. andro. posted on 23 May 2012, 14:48 1

Apple collecting data???!!!!
Over the top from IBM admittingly useless they know more than we do on what practises apple use

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