Between the Lines

Larry Dignan, Andrew Nusca and Rachel King

Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

By Rachel King | December 1, 2011, 12:26pm PST

Summary: Apple has offered an answer as to why Siri could not comment on a hot topic.

Apple found itself in trouble again thanks to its voice-command assistant software, Siri. The latest debacle came about after it was discovered that Siri had few answers when it came to providing information about medical facilities that offer services and information related to reproductive health matters.

The lack of information caused a firestorm particularly because Siri seems to retain information about so many other health and sex-related topics, but not requests about the morning-after pill nor abortions.

Unlike some other problems plaguing the iPhone 4S (such as “batterygate”), Apple has responded more swiftly this time, likely given the heated opinions surrounding this topic.

Here is a copy of the note that Apple CEO Tim Cook sent to Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation on November 30, as published to the NARAL Pro-Choice America blog:

Nancy,
Thanks for your note.

Our customers use Siri to find out all types of information and while it can find a lot, it doesn’t always find what you want. These are not intentional omissions meant to offend anyone, it simply means that as we bring Siri from beta to a final product, we find places where we can do better and we will in the coming weeks.

I appreciate you pointing this out.

Best Regards,
Tim

Siri is not expected to emerge from beta mode until 2012.

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Apple Siri, Debacle, Apple Inc., Rachel King

Rachel King is a staff writer for ZDNet based in San Francisco.

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

chethammer 7th Feb

@Davewrite
You are told Siri is beta. Siri is not beta. You are told this so that any foul ups that come your way because of Siri have a built in fall guy. It give Apple plausible deniability.

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Next iPhone

WebSiteManager 1st Dec

Multiple choices of personality so you can pick the one that doesn't affend your beliefs.

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+100500

dderss 1st Dec

@WebSiteManager

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

andyharris 1st Dec

I thought that Siri was a personal assistant. Sort of "Don't forget you have a meeting at 11 am", "You are going to the theater this evening", etc.. So it seems reasonable to say "I'm hungry for pizza" and be told "There's a CPK two blocks away". I don't put "I'm thinking of terminating my pregnancy" in the same category. Surely that's a bigger life decision than Siri is intended to assist you with? Perhaps to some people it's not...

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

Nitz_Walsh 1st Dec

@andyharris
In the case of a morning-after pill, no actually - that's a decision that has to be made within a very small window, not weeks of genuflecting. Someone may sincerely need a location where the pill can be obtained - it's not like they're sending out flyers.

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

John238 Updated - 1st Dec

@Nitz_Walsh

I agree with andy.

Siri is an assistant, not a doctor. I could expect Siri to answer a query like, "Where is the nearest planned parenthood?" but not necessarily answer, "Should I get an abortion?".

I would expect Siris general answer to most medical questions (questions that concern diagnosing a medical problem or questions that request information concerning taking any medication) by asking, "Would you like me to call your doctor so you can discuss this with your physician or perhaps you need to make an appointment with your physician or is this an emergency and should I call an ambulance?"

Also, about the morning after pill; keeping a list of all the different drugs that are sold at different pharmacies is different than answering the question, "Where is the nearest pharmacy?" While I would expect Siri to give the location of the nearest pharmacy I would not necessarily expect Siri to tell me if a specific medication is available at a specific pharmacy (For those who do not know, some meds are not available at all pharmacies. I have actually run into that challenge where a medication is not available at just any pharmacy.)

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'Debacle' 'BatteryGate'

Davewrite 1st Dec

with ChangeWave poll showing 96% of 4S users are satisfied with their phone I understand now why Steve Jobs doesn't like talking to the press : they will never give Apple a fair break e.g: blowing up abortion question on a beta product as a 'debacle'.

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Yep, the media blows everything out of proportion

otaddy 1st Dec

@Davewrite And I cant believe that political correctness still generates news. It would be nice if people would think for themselves for a change.

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Yes, they are never given a fair braek

Mister Spock Updated - 1st Dec

@Davewrite
I find that to be especially true in regaurds to Siri.

Since we all know that Apple releases nothing until it is ready, and the fact that Apple sold the phone with images of a perfectlly working Siri, they should be given a pass as the software is still in beta, which should not surprise anyone as we all know Apple does not release beta, in fact they do not release anything until it is ready.
plain

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

dunraven 1st Dec

@Davewrite
I have to admit that I would be rather shocked to find Steve Jobs talking to the press about this one.

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

wiseman2011 2nd Dec

@Davewrite I agree.

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

chethammer 7th Feb

@Davewrite
You are told Siri is beta. Siri is not beta. You are told this so that any foul ups that come your way because of Siri have a built in fall guy. It give Apple plausible deniability.

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

gribittmep Updated - 1st Dec

Like I've said - ZDnet - the National Enquirer of IT News.

Begin Opinion: Its a baby, not a choice. End Opinion

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

Peter Perry 1st Dec

@gribittmep +1 and the choice was made when most decided to have sex!

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

Goldie07 1st Dec

" Dear Tim,

What a load of BS. This was a conscious decision by your company to exclude this kind of information from Siri. If it failed to understand a certain type of question in this area of enquiry we might buy your BS answer. The fact that it fails to answer any questions in this area of enquiry indicates a conscious decision on the part of the programmers to exclude it, and we know the programmers don't make these decisions on their own at Apple.

So Tim, try to come up with a better answer. "

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

CobraA1 1st Dec

I'd rather it not be able to find the info. Seriously, what's up with this culture of death? I've gone over the topic from a million angles, and I seriously am not convinced that "choice" should ever outweigh life.

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Culture of death is the natural consequence of a selfish society where

baggins_z 1st Dec

every person thinks they are the center of the universe.

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

Amusal 1st Dec

@CobraA1
That's really weird? In the case of the morning after pill, conception hasn't occured yet, but still it COULD still be a life. I hadn't thought about it like that before! Does that mean a man can rape a woman and tell her that her choice doesn't matter because they might make a baby and choice should never outweigh life?

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

CobraA1 2nd Dec

@Amusal I'm not really talking about the pill, I'm generally talking about abortion.

"Does that mean a man can rape a woman and tell her that her choice doesn't matter because they might make a baby and choice should never outweigh life? "

A man who rapes has committed a terrible, horrendous crime, and should be punished as such. Should we also punish the innocent child for the crimes of the father?

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

UrNotPayingAttention 1st Dec

I'm completely blown away. And we wonder why our country is in the shape it's in. Not only are we still arguing about an issue that was decided decades and decades ago... no we have to argue on where electronic devices stand on these issues.

"Is iPhone 4S Siri Pro Life?" This is embarassing for America as a country, this makes us look like complete id10ts to the rest of the world.
http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/177423/158/Iphones-Siri-Under-Fire

And, as for the genius Carol Tobias that said this 'brilliant' statement in the article:
"If this results in even one unborn baby getting the gift of life for Christmas, rather than being killed, National Right to Life rejoices."

Uh... I hate to break it to her, but if a Woman ends up having a baby because her iPhone couldn't tell her where to get an abortion.... The baby's better off dead because she's not fit to be a mother.

Oh, and BTW, I hate to rag on Channel 9's flamebait 'breaking news'... but Planned Parenthood is not considered an abortion clinic. Abortions make up a very small part of the services they provide. Also, that 'reporter' made a point to show he was right outside a Planned Parenthood location, yet didn't bother to do a Siri search for... uh.... Planned Parenthood???

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

CobraA1 1st Dec

@UrNotPayingAttention

"And we wonder why our country is in the shape it's in. "

Indeed. Why have we embraced a culture of death?

"Not only are we still arguing about an issue that was decided decades and decades ago... "

Decided in favor of death. Hardly a good decision, or a right one.

"The baby's better off dead because she's not fit to be a mother."

How do we determine who is "fit?" And why not give the child to somebody better, rather than killing it?

"Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends."
-J.R.R. Tolkien

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

gribittmep 1st Dec

@CobraA1

Just think, Steve Jobs birth parents didn't want to keep him but did the proper thing and put him up for adoption. What if they had looked at him as just a "choice"?

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

UrNotPayingAttention 2nd Dec

@gribittmep

Yeah, Steve Jobs was born in 1955. Not being an adult at that time, I'll just presume things were a little different then than they are now. Or even post 1973, for that matter.

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I love this "decided decades ago" argument. It was never decided by the

baggins_z 1st Dec

people, it was handed down by diktat from the state.

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

UrNotPayingAttention 2nd Dec

@baggins_z

Uh, the same could be said for slavery. You suggesting that be reversed as well?

Thought so. I already knew before responding that our laws should be based on your beliefs.

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

UrNotPayingAttention 2nd Dec

@CobraA1

Thanks, Gandalf, but unfortunately that same quote and 'culture of death' crap applies to the religious zealots who blow up female health clinics.

Out of curiosity, are you, gribbitmep, or baggins female?

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

CobraA1 2nd Dec

@UrNotPayingAttention

"Thanks, Gandalf, but unfortunately that same quote and 'culture of death' crap applies to the religious zealots who blow up female health clinics."

The path forward should be set by new laws and a push for culture change, not by explosives.

I am against any type of senseless death - be it abortion or explosives. Do you truly expect me to change my decision based on the actions of a few "religious zealots?"

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

gribittmep 2nd Dec

@UrNotPayingAttention

Not female and I think blowing up female health clinics is a horrendous crime.

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

pkthn_parker@... 1st Dec

LOL. I heard Siri was schizophrenic. Next Apple is going to sell a wrapper to Siri that tends to your views, gender, religious preferences, & political beliefs. I'm personally waiting for the life coach version that tells me I'm king of the world every morning.

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Who else does Siri talk to, behind your back?

Feldwebel Wolfenstool 2nd Dec

Homeland Insecurity? Your trusty Bank? Officer Dibble? General Mills? President Non-Elect-for-Life Hu?

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

cpttango30 Updated - 2nd Dec

It is Apple making the device and Apple programming Siri. If they choose to leave out Abortion That is their right. If you have an iPhone you have internet access how hard is it to type www.google.com or www.bing.com?

Abortion is wrong. It is murder. Why should Apply be force to condon murder. I am sure if you said "Siri I want to kill my wife where can I hire a Hitman?" she wouldn't answer that either.

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To fan the flamebait...

voyager529 2nd Dec

If we take the Apple rep at his word that "it's a beta" and they're still feeding information into it, problem solved. If we're assuming he's trying to save face and they did this intentionally, then a question has been raised...

I'm sincerely wondering what NARAL's official response to the removal of the "Gay Cure" app is. Were they applauding Apple for their moral stance on not keeping material of that nature in the App Store, or were they opposed to it due to their use of having the only iOS storefront as a means of censorship? If the former, why should they be insulted when the moral stance is suddenly no longer aligned to their own? If the latter, why were they silent then?

Joey

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RE: Apple responds after Siri abortion answers debacle

jorjitop 2nd Dec

If more women studied computer science and became programmers, Siri would probably have been developed with a more balanced male/female perspective. As it stands, Siri/Apple will quickly learn from the feedback.