₦airaland Forum

Apple has got a lot right recently, including its iPhone 12 pricing and its big iOS Coronavirus-focused update. But the company has also now given its 1.5 billion iPhone and iPad users worldwide a good reason to leave.


Last year, The Guardian broke a shocking story that Apple was employing contractors to listen to and ‘grade’ Siri recordings. This was done without users knowledge and contractors “regularly” heard confidential information from iPhone and iPad owners, including medical information, drug deals and recordings of couples having sex. Apple subsequently issued a full apology, admitting “we have not been fully living up to our high ideals.” But now, according to The Guardian’s whistleblower, we are learning that nothing has changed.

Revealing his identity for the first time, Thomas le Bonniec, a contractor employed to listen to and grade Siri recordings, has written to data protection regulators stating that Apple “keeps ignoring and violating fundamental rights and continues their massive collection of data.” Describing his role in detail, he writes:

“I listened to hundreds of recordings every day, from various Apple devices (eg. iPhones, Apple Watches, or iPads). These recordings were often taken outside of any activation of Siri, eg in the context of an actual intention from the user to activate it for a request. These processings were made without users being aware of it, and were gathered into datasets to correct the transcription of the recording made by the device.

“The recordings were not limited to the users of Apple devices, but also involved relatives, children, friends, colleagues, and whoever could be recorded by the device. The system recorded everything: names, addresses, messages, searches, arguments, background noises, films, and conversations. I heard people talking about their cancer, referring to dead relatives, religion, sexuality, pornography, politics, school, relationships, or drugs with no intention to activate Siri whatsoever.

“These practices are clearly at odds with the company’s ‘privacy-driven’ policies and should be urgently investigated by data protection authorities and Privacy watchdogs. With the current statement, I want to bring this issue to your attention, and also offer my cooperation to provide any element substantiating these facts. Although this case has already gone public, Apple has not been subject to any kind of investigation to the best of my knowledge.”

Adding further complexity to this issue, a new ruling has confirmed that the FBI cannot even look at the lockscreen of a suspect’s iPhone without a warrant. Picked up by Ars Technica (PDF link), the new limitations restrict looking at a suspect’s smartphone to just the arresting agents and only at the time of the arrest. All of which means privacy laws around technology are tightening rapidly and this is likely to have a significant impact on what can and cannot be extracted from your smartphone, even by its creator.

While Le Bonniec rounds primarily on Apple, he is also highly critical of the lack of action taken against Apple and big tech companies in general, saying “I am extremely concerned that [they] are basically wiretapping entire populations”.

It is important to note that Apple’s so-called wiretapping is not an isolated case. Amazon, Google and Facebook have admitted to similar practices but none trade on privacy as a selling point like Apple. In fact, the company’s Privacy Page declares “At Apple, we believe privacy is a fundamental human right.”

In Apple’s defence, while it gave users the ability to delete Siri recordings in iOS 13.2, the company did state that it planned to resume Siri monitoring after its release. That said, given the new accusations labelled by Le Bonniec, it is clear that further scrutiny is required. I have contacted Apple for a response to the new claims and will update this story when I get one.

In the meantime, I would advise all concerned iPhone and iPad owners to make the following changes: Settings > Privacy > Analytics & Improvement > Improve Siri & Dictation and check it is off, then Settings > Siri & Search > Siri History and tap ‘Delete Siri & Dictation History’. To enable further restrictions, such as revoking location tracking and third-party app integration with Siri, read Apple’s Ask Siri, Dictation & Privacy page.

Also check out my signature

this guy just change my decision to get an iPhone, who else is skeptical

You don't have to worry if there's nothing to hide.

giant tech companies find it hard to obey privacy laws. why?

emmy512:
You don't have to worry if there's nothing to hide.

but you are entitled to your privacy

This is not a good one ... coming from a company like Apple

engrGbenga:
this guy just change my decision to get an iPhone, who else is skeptical

you prolly don't know that Google have been tracking your every move and collecting data from your phone either

All tech companies no matter the privacy messages they preach, still spy on their users one way or the other...

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engrGbenga:
this guy just change my decision to get an iPhone, who else is skeptical

Never did really like the phone
There are many phones out there with better specs and cheaper prices

emae009:
you prolly don't know that Google have been tracking your every move and collecting data from your phone either

True...but it really be compared with that of iPhone
I mean...even recordings?!

osamz007:
All tech companies no matter the privacy messages they preach, still spy on their users one way or the other...

Also true
But these guys spy on you even when you're not making use of the iPhone

I won't be surprised if Apple actually sells its users data. What's the point of paying a premium to be in a closed ecosystem with privacy policies that even the US president can't order them to ease up even to save lives?

Now they've been caught doing the opposite of what they preaching.

osamz007:
All tech companies no matter the privacy messages they preach, still spy on their users one way or the other...

All the same Apple should be investigated.

emae009:
you prolly don't know that Google have been tracking your every move and collecting data from your phone either

dont mind him.

Khassey:
Apple, iOS 13, iPhone, iPad, iPhone 11, iPad Pro, iPhone privacy, iOS privacy, Siri privacy,
Apple’s iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max
MORE FROM FORBESApple iPhone 12: Everything We Know So Far

Which kain copy and paste story be this

Even the OP didn't read what he posted

engrGbenga:
this guy just change my decision to get an iPhone, who else is skeptical

smartphones have been colecting you data since acient of days.

Khassey:
True...but it really be compared with that of iPhone
I mean...even recordings?!

Google assistant does it too. Siri on the other hand is overdoing it.

as long as your browser use cockies.. forget it your data are being tracked.. this is why I laugh at dunce saying Bill Gate need an implant to track them...

a simple test to show you can be track any time, is if you continue watching a particular style of porn on a porn site.. let say miakhalifa doggy style.. soon the site would record your I.P and tailor first page porn according to your preference, they wont show you gay porn, and would display atleast several mia khalifa porn

second test is when you google about a particular product, and the moment you log in to facebook, all paid advert is streamlined to what you just searched, similar thing used is when you input data on forms for registration, when you submit the form and someone else tries using the registration form, your data are cached on the site

Simple application of this privacy breach is how FBI tracked Invicticus Obi, because he used the same phone and IP address and Mac address to log in a scam email account and also logged in on Nairaland and foolishly place a vacancy putting his personal email open using an I.P that had being flagged

.

KrazyDave16:
Google assistant does it too. Siri on the other hand is overdoing it.

Apple's own is better, it's just Siri,
hmmm Google has all your history, all the apps you've used, all the voice command you make on google assistant every website you visit every app that connects to the Internet on you android phone.
Visit https://myactivity.google.com i promise you that you'll start being careful of what you do on your Android phone.

Only a fool will run from Apple and embrace Facebook, instagram or Twitter even google.

Turn analytics off and turn Siri Always listen off.

KrazyDave16:
All the same Apple should be investigated.

I'm not against it.

Nigerians don't care op.


You have that iphone 7+ or laptop you want to sell? Hit me up, let's get you a buyer and sell immediately

Hahaha there's no where to run to google was accused of this too sometimes ago.

Such data is mostly collected to improve artificial intelligence programs.

engrGbenga:
this guy just change my decision to get an iPhone, who else is skeptical

emae009:
you prolly don't know that Google have been tracking your every move and collecting data from your phone either

especially when location is switched on

Ovie56:
Apple's own is better, it's just Siri,
hmmm Google has all your history, all the apps you've used, all the voice command you make on google assistant every website you visit every app that connects to the Internet on you android phone.
Visit https://myactivity.google.com i promise you that you'll start being careful of what you do on your Android phone.

Guess that explains why all ads I used to get in the past were x-rated stuff and fancy gadgets currently (no thanks to jumia and AliExpress) but still, you'd still be monitored by other tech companies via their apps and I review my activity and data to see if there's any anomaly whatsoever, only one is my YT watch history, there's no avoiding that.

KrazyDave16:
All the same Apple should be investigated.

Apple is TOO BIG

engrchykae:
especially when location is switched on

Location or mobile data doesn't need to be on for them to track you anymore.

engrchykae:
Apple is TOO BIG

Google is too but everyone are always on their case when privacy talks comes up.

9jaArea:
Hahaha there's no where to run to google was accused of this too sometimes ago.

Such data is mostly collected to improve artificial intelligence programs.

Hence the reason why people are always wowed by Siri

KrazyDave16:
Google is too but everyone are always on their case when privacy talks comes up.

my dear these firms are bigger than many governments