June 3, 2012 at 3:10 am
Comments posted to this topic are about the item New Security Holes
June 4, 2012 at 12:15 am
Sometimes it really feels like we're walking towards a dark tech-age from some sci-fi movie. Companies are known to use others patent and industrial espionage is not unheard of so yes, this would be a security hole that perhaps is used. Would that however get out, that it was used, the company would probably suffer immensely. Or so one would think. Apple had an agreement with several other companies in silicon valley keep salaries down and not much has happened after that got out which I thought would start a huge storm.
June 4, 2012 at 3:05 am
This is one thing that needs very careful legislation and the mother of all big sticks to enforce it.
What happens if a Google or Amazon moves into your market place? Does this rule out the use of Google and Amazon products for your company?
If you are storing your data in cloud provider of any description and that cloud provider goes into direct competition how would you even know if they were looking at your data?
If you tried to take them to court it would be Jarndice Vs Jarndice. Drags on for decades and no-one wins but the lawyers!
Even if legal safe-guards in place and a machine will only do what a machine is designed to do there is still the human element which is always going to be the weakest link.
Consider the T-Mobile staff who sold data to 3rd party brokerages! That is a breach within the walls of a corporation, what is going to happen outside the walls? Governments are already pushing for greater access to our personal data and all that is going to do is increase the visible surface area of our data. More interaction with it, more chance to expose it to people who shouldn't be allowed the controls to the TV!
My personal experience is that 99.9% of people do their best to maintain honesty and integrity and although the vast majority suceed the disruption caused by the minority is way out of proportion to the size of the minority.
June 4, 2012 at 6:51 am
I did not understant what IBM's objection was when I read the news article. How does this differ from doing a Google or Bing search?
Not that Siri interests me much, I don't need to chit chat with my computer.
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-- FORTRAN manual for Xerox Computers --
June 4, 2012 at 7:29 am
jay-h (6/4/2012)
I did not understant what IBM's objection was when I read the news article. How does this differ from doing a Google or Bing search?
When you go to a search engine it doesn't look into the data you have stored on your phone. Siri does to better understand the context of the command:
http://www.jonburg.com/future/2011/10/siri-apple-know-a-lot-about-you-who-cares-about-privacy.html
Additionally, the commands given to it can be stored in the cloud:
http://www.infoworld.com/t/data-security/should-you-care-siri-taking-notes-194136
From a healthcare perspective, that's a major concern as if a doctor blocks out time on his schedule to review a patient's case via Siri that gets sent someplace that we don't know who is going to have access to it which is a clear violation of HIPPA.
June 4, 2012 at 7:37 am
jay-h (6/4/2012)
I did not understant what IBM's objection was when I read the news article. How does this differ from doing a Google or Bing search?Not that Siri interests me much, I don't need to chit chat with my computer.
Imaging you work for IBM research and set an appointment "We have a meeting about the voice response for Waston program". Apple can now infer that IBM is working on voice recognition for the Watson supercomputer. Enough of those, or perhaps even more detailed personal reminders are potential trade secret leaks.
This could be much more of a problem than a search engine, which is enough of an issue.
June 4, 2012 at 8:16 am
David.Poole (6/4/2012)
My personal experience is that 99.9% of people do their best to maintain honesty and integrity and although the vast majority suceed the disruption caused by the minority is way out of proportion to the size of the minority.
I can't argue with your personal experience. You must be pretty lucky if your statement is accurate. IMO I think we are fortunate if 80% of people "do their best to maintain honesty and integrity". I do feel most people are honest, but I stop in saying that all honest people do their best. Even the most ethical people slip at times.
An analogy I use is you receive too much change back at the local superstore. The superstore everyone seems to criticize for only selling Chineese products. Do you return it if you notice at the register? In the parking lot at your car? On the way home? Once you get home? What if it is a penny? Dollar? Ten dollars?
Ask a group of those people you think do their best, and I guarantee you the answers will vary.
I read a story on the Internet once about a guy that bought a wood working power tool at a show, that normally costs around $600. He got a discount of maybe $100-$200. When it was loaded up, he drove home, and discovered they gave him the wrong one - a model that normally cost $900. He lived hundreds of miles away. He called, they wanted him to return it and pick up what he should have got. Responses varied, some said they wouldn't have said anything, others said he should drive back on his own dime, most were somewhere in the middle and suggested negotiating something fair for both parties.
I think it is naive for any of us to believe everyone else has the same values as we do as individuals. Most people may be close, but there is enough variance that it can be risky to assign unearned trust to others.
Dave
June 4, 2012 at 8:22 am
Steve,
Working in this industry I see all the unethical and illegal things that occur, and I find it hard to blindly trust companies with my stuff. If you think about it, companies have a short term profit motive which frequently is more important to them than long term gains. Why would they care about me as an individual, they can always get more customers.
We are seeing more and more retailers shifting away from customer service. Why would we think business to business trade would be any different? Sure, a business customer is harder to obtain, but if they don't know...
I also feel the government has no interest in protecting us, as companies have too much say in how laws are written. DMCA is one example, and the bills that are being pushed recently that would essentially give complete control over our Internet usage to companies is another.
It isn't just voice recognition we ought to be worried about.
Dave
June 4, 2012 at 8:36 am
djackson 22568 (6/4/2012)
It isn't just voice recognition we ought to be worried about.
So very true.
Any of our data, even things we might not expect (like images/recording of our person, or our actions), are all up for grab.
Let your mind run wild, you might find all sorts of potential issues with our interactions with businesses.
June 4, 2012 at 8:40 am
I understand that the goal is to translate voice commands into web search or iPhone commands, but I don't see why it's necessary to steam the actual voice over to one of Apple's servers. Not only is that a privacy issue, but I would expect it to result in latency or loss of service issues as well.
A 3rd party could implement a client side voice recognition solution that does the same thing but only better. They wouldn't have to invest in server or operational infrastructure; just sell the widget for $5 a pop.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
June 4, 2012 at 8:45 am
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (6/4/2012)
djackson 22568 (6/4/2012)
It isn't just voice recognition we ought to be worried about.So very true.
Any of our data, even things we might not expect (like images/recording of our person, or our actions), are all up for grab.
Let your mind run wild, you might find all sorts of potential issues with our interactions with businesses.
How often do we think - "Wow I never thought anyone would steal that!"
I was talking to someone in the banking industry this weekend. You know how a lot of companies take images of checks instead of the actual paper? Well people have figured out how to use that to double up on the deposit. For obvious reasons he did not get into the details, but essentially they deposit the check at one bank, and then they go to another bank and do the same thing. I don't get how they aren't getting caught prior to being able to use the money they get, but he said his bank gets hit for a huge amount of money each year, as this is now fairly common. Criminals can think up all kinds of ways to steal our data, money, identity... Criminals are people. Companies employ people.
Dave
June 4, 2012 at 11:08 am
jay-h (6/4/2012)
I did not understant what IBM's objection was when I read the news article. How does this differ from doing a Google or Bing search?Not that Siri interests me much, I don't need to chit chat with my computer.
The difference is that Google and Microsoft (Bing) are both known reputable companies that have made public, explicit statements about what they do and do not do with their data and how they protect the privacy of the search queries. And if they violate this promise a company like IBM can be reasonably sure that 1) it would get out because of their size and public profile, and 2) they have sufficient assets to be able to pay the damages that IBM could legitimately claim for failing to fulfill these promises.
Most of these things are NOT true for Apple's subcontractors.
[font="Times New Roman"]-- RBarryYoung[/font], [font="Times New Roman"] (302)375-0451[/font] blog: MovingSQL.com, Twitter: @RBarryYoung[font="Arial Black"]
Proactive Performance Solutions, Inc. [/font][font="Verdana"] "Performance is our middle name."[/font]
June 4, 2012 at 11:26 am
Heh. That parody link gave me the best laugh I've had in two days, Steve. Thanks! :laugh:
[font="Times New Roman"]-- RBarryYoung[/font], [font="Times New Roman"] (302)375-0451[/font] blog: MovingSQL.com, Twitter: @RBarryYoung[font="Arial Black"]
Proactive Performance Solutions, Inc. [/font][font="Verdana"] "Performance is our middle name."[/font]
June 5, 2012 at 6:58 am
Eric M Russell (6/4/2012)
I understand that the goal is to translate voice commands into web search or iPhone commands, but I don't see why it's necessary to steam the actual voice over to one of Apple's servers. Not only is that a privacy issue, but I would expect it to result in latency or loss of service issues as well.A 3rd party could implement a client side voice recognition solution that does the same thing but only better. They wouldn't have to invest in server or operational infrastructure; just sell the widget for $5 a pop.
There is really not that much processing power on the phone. Voice recognition systems like Apple or Google have vast arrays of sound matching samplings and do considerable processing of the signal. Even a notebook, which is vastly more powerful than an iphone, does not match that performance.
...
-- FORTRAN manual for Xerox Computers --
June 5, 2012 at 9:28 am
jay-h (6/5/2012)
Eric M Russell (6/4/2012)
I understand that the goal is to translate voice commands into web search or iPhone commands, but I don't see why it's necessary to steam the actual voice over to one of Apple's servers. Not only is that a privacy issue, but I would expect it to result in latency or loss of service issues as well.A 3rd party could implement a client side voice recognition solution that does the same thing but only better. They wouldn't have to invest in server or operational infrastructure; just sell the widget for $5 a pop.
There is really not that much processing power on the phone. Voice recognition systems like Apple or Google have vast arrays of sound matching samplings and do considerable processing of the signal. Even a notebook, which is vastly more powerful than an iphone, does not match that performance.
For sure. Nuance does the voice recco piece. They are one of the leaders in this area, and they use powerful servers to make this happen. It's not easy, especially when you have untrained systems working on a variety of accents, inflections, and background noise.
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