SIRI Blocked At IBM As A Security Measure

IBM allows its many employees to bring their own devices to work, allowing staff freedom from being locked into a company issued device. So it is no surprise that Big Blues many employees have been taking Apple’s popular iPhone to work. However, it has recently come to light that IBM has banned the use of certain apps on the iPhone including Siri, iCloud and Dropbox.

The reasoning behind the move has been IBM’s fear that data being collected by the apps will be stored somewhere else and can be used to figure out what IBM employees are searching. This is a security concern that IBM is not willing to slide because it wants to protect the company’s privacy.

For many, the voice driven Siri is an easy to use function on the iPhone that helps them search and use the iPhones many functions. Users find that Siri helps free up time and increase productivity. However, people taking advantage of Siri do not realize that the app is not a standalone feature and actually sends a recording of their voice to Apple so that it can be converted into text. Interestingly, Siri also grabs other tid-bits of information including names of contacts and unspecified user data. Apple claims that this is done to enhance Siri’s service and make it work better.

This may be all good for an individual users but companies like IBM, that work on confidential projects or cutting edge technologies, any chance that a third party will know what is happening within their walls is a security risk. For example, if an IBM employee uses Siri to dictate an email that contains information on IBM’s latest project, that recording will be transcribed and sent to Apple’s facility in North Carolina. The data is stored there for an unspecified time and simple data mining can bring out important information.