Siri Purchases Canceled: Apple to Stop Alexa-Like Feature Due to Privacy Concerns

Apple is canceling a feature that allows Siri users to make purchases through voice commands due to privacy concerns. The company will stop its Siri purchase feature, similar to how Amazon's Alexa is used to make online orders.

Apple to Scrap Feature Allowing Siri Users to Make Purchases Through Voice Commands

In the article published in The Information, Apple initially tried allowing Siri users to make purchases for apps and services three years ago. The feature was similar to Amazon's Alexa and was working for a while until Apple engineers decided to scrap the idea due to privacy concerns.

In the story of MacRumors, the highlight of the report is how Apple engineers have little access when it comes to how users use their services like Apple Maps or Apple TV+. Due to the strict privacy procedures, engineers at Apple struggle to gain access to users' data, making it harder for Apple to compete with its competitors like Google.

Apple Decides to Scrap Siri Feature Allowing Users to Purchase Through Voice Commands

The publication also revealed in 2019 that the company explored the possibility of allowing its users to make purchases through Siri. The team, however, decided to go a different route following Apple's privacy concerns.

As per the report, this isn't the first time that Apple engineers were limited due to the privacy policies set by the company. Siri, the App Store, and Apple Cards' engineers and staff usually find it hard to make up for the lack of access to consumer data resulting in them finding creative or costly alternate procedures.

Company Describes How User Data is Collected

One of the ways Apple engineers have come up with a solution is differential privacy. This was initially demoed during the WWDC 2016 by Apple's Craig Federighi.

Apple released a technical overview describing how differential privacy is implemented and how it enables Apple to learn more about its user community without learning about the individuals specifically.

Differential Privacy Changes How Information is Shared with the Company

Differential privacy changes how information is shared with Apple before the data leaves the user's device, making sure that the company never reproduces the data. As per the report, despite differential privacy, engineers express concerns regarding constraints regarding what they are and are not capable of doing.

The report also highlighted privacy concerns that pop up when it comes to the Apple Watch. With Apple trying to maintain how information is collected, engineers are struggling to improve how data is being gathered and how they can make improvements based on the data they have access to.

Due to the limited data engineers are capable of collecting, they have decided to scrap Siri's feature that allows users to make purchases through voice commands.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian B.