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Ask HN: Siri and data sent to servers

23 points by moondowner ↗ HN
Has anyone thought about what happens to the sent data to Apple's servers when using Siri? Is it kept there, for how much time, what is their policy regarding this question?

The voice data is for sure translated to text, later to be parsed and all that stuff, to figure out the answer.

But, all those sent emails, created appointments, personal searches, alarms, etc etc... they are all data that can be mapped to a certain user. Remember that iPhones already track user's location. That's too much info about someone.

8 comments

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adziki
+1 for knowing where it's used. the tradeoff for privacy vs data ownership is something that I can argue on both sides for. If Siri was a service that was $10 a year, I'd want that data not stored. If it's free, someone's gotta pay for it. If they can pay for the service while truly anonymously storing the info, so be it.
refulgentis
It's not a mystery how it's being paid for – it's being paid for by the $600 the carrier pays Apple for your 16 GB iPhone 4S.
guan
But Siri doesn’t just transmit and store data to be evil, they use it to improve the service to better understand what you’re saying. How do you feel about that?
rbarooah
It's not free. That's why it wasn't supplied to users of earlier iOS devices. The cost of the new device includes Siri service for the lifetime of the handset.
refulgentis
Apple spells it out in Settings -> General -> Siri -> "About Siri and Privacy". I can copy and paste it, so I'll email it from my phone to my computer, and paste it here:

When you use Siri, which includes the dictation feature of your device, the things you say and dictate will be recorded and sent to Apple to process your requests. Your device will also send Apple other information, such as your first name and nickname; the names, nicknames, and relationship with you (e.g., “my dad”) of your address book contacts; and song names in your collection (collectively, your “User Data”). All of this data is used to help Siri understand you better and recognize what you say. It is not linked to other data that Apple may have from your use of other Apple services.

If you have Location Services turned on, the location of your device at the time you make a request will also be sent to Apple to help Siri improve the accuracy of its response to your location-based requests (e.g., “what’s the weather like here today?”). You may choose to turn off Location Services for Siri. To do so, open Settings, tap Location Services, and slide the Siri switch to “off”.

Information collected by Apple will be treated in accordance with Apple’s Privacy Policy, which can be found at www.apple.com/privacy.

You may choose to turn off Siri at any time. To do so, open Settings, tap General, tap Siri, and slide the Siri switch to “off”. If you turn off Siri, Apple will delete your User Data, as well as your recent voice input data. Older voice input data that has been disassociated from you may be retained for a period of time to generally improve Siri and other Apple products and services. This voice input data may include audio files and transcripts of what you said and related diagnostic data, such as hardware and operating system specifications and performance statistics.

You can also restrict the ability to use Siri altogether under the Restrictions Setting.

mikebutash
They'll exploit user queries any way they feel they can, same as google or facebook. Apple is simply trying to take hold of a "voice search" market the same way google dominates the "web search" market. Currently apple uses google for the backend search, but once they swing their entire ecosystem to using it, apple can offer up their users' queries to the highest bidder, such as bing instead of google, and use for their their own marketing/data mining. Balmer might monkey-dance for apple to make themselves relevant in search again at the opportunity/cost, even as a apple's sub.

Can't beat em + enemy of my enemy.

eridius
That's awfully cynical. What's your basis for believing this?

Remember, Apple isn't Google. They're not trying to monetize search, or sell your user data. With Google, you are the product, not the customer. But with Apple, you are the customer, not the product.

andyfleming
I think this is a key issue for tech companies and consumers. When it comes to data and privacy, there is a certain place where it becomes about the brand and the how much a consumer/user trusts the brand. I trust Apple more than most brands. I believe they are respectful of users and their business is devices and software. As where I trust a company, like Google, less. Their business is data.