We all think it’s cute in the commercials where someone asks Siri, the Apple AI Assistant, a question and Siri answers. Isn’t that wonderful or cool, we think? Here’s something you may not realize though. Everything you ask Siri is recorded by Apple. It goes further. Sometimes you inadvertently and unknowingly activate Siri and everything you say is recorded by Apple. Apple will then disclose this information to marketers, advertisers and who knows who else. It is my understanding that Google Assist performs similar AI activities. Apple has just settled a class action lawsuit for $95 million over privacy issues involving Siri. In settling the claim, Apple was able to deny any wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
It used to be that the biggest privacy concerns were directed toward government. However, with the advent of AI, our privacy can now be tracked by a much larger potential pool of listeners. I’m not a conspiracy theorist; truth is what matters to me. What I am saying though is that this is what’s happening in our digital age with the advent of AI. I simply think people should be aware of this. You should also be aware that it is possible to disable these functions on your phone. As Don Henley sang: “This is the end of the innocence.”
The World According to Glissando 