Thursday, February 9, 2012

CIA Demands Apple Disable Siri From Speaking Persian


WASHINGTON -- (TYDN) Fearing a wave of iPhone-assisted terror plots, the Central Intelligence Agency is pressuring Apple Inc. to disable its popular smartphone voice-assistant, Siri, from speaking Persian, TheYellowDailyNews has learned.

The agency believes Siri, if widely adopted by the Taliban or other Middle Eastern terrorists, also likely would be used to automatically remind terrorists to commit jihad. The Siri technology -- well-placed CIA officials told TheYellowDailyNews late Thursday -- is already providing Middle Eastern-based terrorists the directions and locations to carry out suicide-bomb plots.

According to these CIA officials who requested anonymity and were granted anonymity by  TheYellowDailyNews because of the sensitivity of the intelligence assessment, jihadists could employ Siri to text-message fellow jihadists that they're on their way to committing the next 9/11.

"It simply shocks the conscience that Apple is enabling the iPhone to become a terrorist's assistant that provides suggestions on nearby places to bomb," a top-ranking CIA official briefed on the intelligence told TheYellowDailyNews on condition of anonymity. "Christ, the iPhone already informs terrorists about the weather, and now Siri asks terrorists 'what can i help you with.'"

The CIA intelligence assessment is another blow to the Siri technology, which is also coming under widespread fire from civil rights advocates.


The National Organization of and for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing People, for example, sued Apple early Thursday, accusing the Cupertino-based gadget maker of discriminating against the hearing impaired because Siri does not speak sign language, TheYellowdailyNews has learned.

The suit, obtained by TheYellowDailyNews, seeks $1 billion in damages. It alleges the popular Siri application violates the Americans With Disabilities Act because it only speaks in robotic monotone voices and does not utilize sign language.

Civil rights groups said the hearing-impaired suit uncovered perhaps the world's biggest civil rights violation since the disclosure that the popular iPhone was manufactured by Chinese slaves.

Meanwhile, civil rights attorney Gloria Allred, speaking to TheYellowDailyNews exclusively, told TheYellowDailyNews that, perhaps as early as next week, she is expected to file a federal civil rights lawsuit also targeting Siri. The suit, the entire text of which was obtained by TheYellowDailyNews, claims the Siri assistant discriminates against women because "it is not programmed to answer whether certain types of clothing make them look fat."