Apple revealed today that it stores data generated when we use Siri and Dictation, two voice services found on its mobile devices, for two years.
The revelation came after a civil liberties and rights group warned that Apple had failed to properly inform its customers about their privacy rights.
The Cupertino-based company's privacy policy for Siri and Dictation does n't reveal exactly how they work or how and for how long the company stores customer data. Both services first became available to the public as standard features in October 2011.
Some companies, such as IBM, banned the use of these services in their workplaces because they could not guarantee the security of their data.
This morning, Wired 's Robert McMillan came to dig into the matter. How long does Apple store this data? Up to two years, according to Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller.
Siri (found on iOS devices) and Dictation (found on iOS and OS X devices) collect your voice data and send it toApple servers. It is stored with a random number that you generate for user anonymity, not a user's email address, phone number, or Apple ID.
After six months, the data is separated from that random number. Apple then uses it to “improve Siri and Dictation.” The company said the data may include “related diagnostic data, such as hardware, system operating specifications, and performance statistics.”
Speaking to Wired, Apple said that disabling Siri immediately deletes the random ID number and “any associated data.”
“Dictation is enabled as part of Siri,” according to Apple’s support documentation. Both Siri and Dictation are covered by the same service agreement and, therefore, have the same privacy policy.
However, any voice data with personal information will have to be retained by Apple for two years.
This data can range from an innocent request to Siri "what's the weather like tomorrow" to very sensitive information.
For this reason, IBM last year banned the Siri service on its corporate network.
