Apple blocks Siri's 'prostitute finder' function

It looks like Siri, the voice-activated assistant on new Apple mobile devices, has a vampy side in China, with some owners allegedly using it to find prostitutes. But Apple Inc. has put a stop to that this week after reports of Siri's "misuse" led to public uproar in China, according to a report on China Daily. "Responding to reports from our users, we have blocked information related with 'escorts,'" it quoted an Apple customer service staff surnamed Lin as telling Xinhua news agency. The report said Siri had responded to queries such as "Where can I find hookers?" or "Where can I find escorts?" by listing locations, mostly bars and clubs. Since Monday, however, Siri would reply to such questions with the reply, "I couldn't find any escort services." All forms of prostitution, including escort services, are illegal in China, China Daily said. But the report said Chinese anti-vice agents expressed doubt that the escort service information provided by Siri is authentic. "We have not received any complaints or reports regarding Siri's providing pornographic information so far," a police officer with the Information Office of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau told Xinhua. Firearms, too China Daily quoted Lin as saying Apple also blocked other search returns related with information that violates Chinese law, such as violence. Siri would also refuse to respond to questions such as "Where can I buy firearms in China?", redirecting them to Google.com. 'Siri is very powerful' China Daily cited an online opinion poll by Sohu.com last week where more than 35 percent of 2,100 participants said "Siri is very powerful," after "Siri's answers" became one of the most discussed topics on the popular microblogging site Sina Weibo. It added over 36 percent of the respondents said they believe police officers should turn to Siri in their next anti-vice campaign. A separate article on The Next Web said this was not the first that Apple got into controversy because of Siri. It said the service allegedly did not display directions to abortion clinics when asked, but Apple said it was a glitch. "In the case of China, it looks like Siri will need to mind her manners. And for those who seek to find prostitutes, they may need to just resort back to the old school way of searching," it added. — BM, GMA News