(Image source: Gizmodo)

 

BY JENNIFER LONG

 

She’ll explain the meaning of life and even where to dump a dead body. But there’s one thing Apple’s Siri won’t tell -- WFLD explains.

“Some bloggers tried to see what she will and will not help you with. So in several tests they could not get Siri to tell you where you can get an abortion, leading some to speculate that Siri is pro-life -- according to the bloggers.”

Could it be true? Try asking Siri to find a local abortion clinic and you’ll get the response:

“I didn’t find any abortion clinics.” Even in metropolises like Manhattan and Washington D.C., for which a quick Google search shows where services are available.

The findings seem to showcase Siri’s stance on a controversial topic, but she’s inconsistent. Siri will, for example, find local escort services. So, a blogger for HotAir wonders if its just a technical mess up.

“I’ll be shocked if this is anything other than a glitch in Siri’s programming. … from a business standpoint, it’d be madness for Apple to do it deliberately. Their customers skew a bit left as it is; the last thing they should want to do is give them political reasons to flee to Android.”

But others say, there’s no way this was an accident. A blogger for Gizmodo writes…

“The coincidences are too many, and the information is readily available all over the web. It seems impossible that Siri can’t provide these answers while it can happily tell you where to find hospitals for any illness or how to get to the closest strip club.”

So far Apple hasn’t joined in on the discussion, but the original developer of Siri software has chimed in.He says...

“My guess at what's happening here is that Apple has made deals with Web services that provide local business information, and Apple probably hasn't paid much attention to all the results that come up.”

But a New York Times technology reporter sends a word of warning-- if Siri really is Pro-Life, this is a big issue. She writes on her personal Tumblr…

“If true, this is extremely important. Not just because of the subject matter but because its important to understand that our access to news and INFORMATION may increasingly be funneled through large companies like Apple, Facebook, Google and Amazon, who may have hidden agendas… that we don’t know about."

Bloggers have also pointed out that Siri cannot tell you where to find the Plan B contraceptive. 

Tech News: Siri Abortion Controversy

Is Apple's Siri Pro-Life?

November 30, 2011
(2:18)
Siri cannot find local abortion clinics even when there are providers in the area, and some bloggers suggest this could be purposeful.
   
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