IBM Disables iCloud and Siri For Security Reasons

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Posted May 23, 2012 at 6:43pm by iClarified | Please help us and submit a translation by clicking here | 8627 views

Jeanette Horan, IBM's chief information officer, says the company bans both iCloud and Siri for security reasons, in an interview with Technology Review.

After surveying numerous employees the company realized that they were "blissfully unaware" of what popular apps could be security risks.

IBM has now established guidelines banning apps that could be a security risk such as Dropbox and other public file-transfer services. It also bans forwarding of IBM email to public mail services or using smartphones to create open Wi-Fi hotspots.

"We found a tremendous lack of awareness as to what constitutes a risk," says Horan. So now, she says, "we're trying to make people aware."

Notably, Apple services such as iCloud and Siri are also disabled on employee's iPhones. The company worries that spoken queries might be stored somewhere at Apple.

Read More [via AppleInsider]

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Comments (5)

CIA Big Brother - May 24, 2012 at 4:45am

Yes it is stored At apple, but now since the Obama administration, the CIA now taps into it.

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John doe - May 23, 2012 at 11:02pm

This is more a security concern for IBM. It's not that these services pose a security threat for the services themselves but for IBM. They just don't want their employees using these services cause they feel future ideas and or products can end up in competing companies hand or any company for that matter. There are companies that don't even allow camera phones any type of social services like facebook, tweeter etc. to be used in their facilities. That's how they control leaks such company as trades and secrets.

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NoGoodNick - May 23, 2012 at 10:30pm

Yeah, but notice they ban competing products, rather than trying to come up with alternatives or trying to educate people. I think it's more to keep employees from using alternate technology than anything else.

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madcow - May 23, 2012 at 8:02pm

makes sense. Especiallly icloud and dropbox. It would be very easy to take pics send them through those services then delete them from the local device so there was no evidence on them. Some companies don't even like phones with cameras.

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ne6to - May 28, 2012 at 8:42am

Makes sense my ass. There are millions of ways to make pictures and transfer information outside of a company.

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