Siri is here/hear and raises concerns

To the editor,

There is an amusing clip of a British politician, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, giving a presentation about Syria when he is “heckled” by Siri on his phone: “I found something on the web for Syria, Syrian democratic forces supported by premonition.”

A quick lesson on making sure your phone is on silent but is there more of a concern?

Obviously, Siri can hear you but who else can? From what is written in many papers there are ways of “hacking” phones and probably hearing what is being said. I am not worried if people can hear my boring conversations but then I am not the defence secretary who surely holds private discussions with colleagues and allies. Private may become public.

The world of spying has moved on from breaking into someone’s office and leaving a bug in the flowerpot. The possibility of tapping a phone that will be carried into and out of every politician’s and military leader’s meeting is bound to be considered by our foes and friends.

Whose phone do we want to listen to? I can think of a long list of people that I don’t want to listen

to as I already hear too much from them.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia