Voted for by Duma member Alina Kabaeva, who has a friend in a high place.
Posted on 04/15/2015 12:03:59 AM PDT by Freelance Warrior
The new Russian-language version of iPhone's “personal assistant” has been accused of providing homophobic responses to questions about gays and lesbians.
One Russian man in London, Alex, posted a video on YouTube in which Siri responds in a woman's voice to his questions about gay marriages and whether they are “normal”, by saying, “Alex, you are so rude!”
Asked in Russian, “How do you register a gay marriage in England?” Siri replies on an iPad, “I will pretend I didn't hear that.”. The Russian LGBT site, www.lesbiru.com, noted that when told “Lesbianism is normal”, Siri came back saying, “There’s no need to speak like that.” Pavel Lokshin, a journalist, found that Siri replied, “Pavel, how rude you are!” when he asked about “Gay clubs around me”.
In a telephone interview, Alex, a political risks consultant, said that he was “shocked and appalled” by the “quite homophobic” responses. “I went to visit two gay friends and we decided to try Siri out with various questions about gays and lesbians,” he said. “It seemed to reply as if they were swear words.”
“I don’t know whether Apple did this itself or this is the work of a contractor but the result is the same,” he said. “This just shows that all the words about supporting diversity and equality are amended to the existing marketplace and in Russia they don’t want any association with being pro-gay, I would imagine.”
Apple did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday afternoon. A spokesman told PinkNews it was "just a bug that's been fixed". Apple appeared to have fixed the problem on Monday evening, because the Russian-language version of Siri now gives lists from the internet when asked about nearby gay clubs. Previously, it responded by saying, “I would blush, if I could”.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Voted for by Duma member Alina Kabaeva, who has a friend in a high place.
I, and others who are also labeling you with that well earned sobriquet, are just going by the evidence of your posts in Apple threads. . . you do not appear platform agnostic, not at all.
You drip derision and bile in your posts. . . and your personal attacks on me for doing what the 700 members of the special interest PING group on FreeRepublic have asked me to do for them. . . it seems to escape you that I post both positive and negative articles on Apple. I don't care what the content is. . . but if it is a FUD article, I will demonstrate why it is falsely reporting the facts, and show the truth, because TRUTH matters. I WILL link to the factual data and proof of what I post. Those who post bile and hate cannot.
I get frequent thanks from many Freepers for my efforts on these threads that far outnumber the very tiny group of the Apple Hate Brigade and those like you (under 10 Freepers) who think I am some kind of Apple shill, and run a constant barrage of harassment. Frankly, bolobaby, you are simply outnumbered and there is nothing to awaken to. i am quite aware and human. (another one of your snarky insults, thank you.) You members of the Apple Hate Brigade are the people who have a delusional view of the facts and reality. I am not posting these items, or responding by pinging the members of the list to please YOU and your ilk. I do it because I was ASKED TO DO IT by 700 of your fellow Freepers. Get that through your thick skull. I've told you that much more frequently you than you've ever said that you were "platform agnostic". I suffer the nasty slings and insult arrows of you asshats because of those 700 plus who do appreciate these threads and who have repeatedly SAID SO, to you and your cohort of bile slingers and insult archers.
instead, like you, they post false equivalency accusations and photos like you just did of Bagdad Bob, implying I am the equivalent. You use ad hominem attack on Apple users and on me. You post false claims and myths about Apple which i have corrected with the facts and links to prove I am correct. That makes you a thread troll.
They, apparently like you, cannot act civilly on Apple threads. . . instead you throw insults toward someone you don't know. That makes you and them thread bullies. . . juvenile brats, all because you don't like Apple products, and apparently Apple product users.
No, Apple did not say they have "fixed" Siri. . . the guy who claims there is a problem says that Apple has "fixed" Siri because she doesn't do it anymore.
"Apple did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday afternoon. A spokesman told PinkNews it was "just a bug that's been fixed". Apple appeared to have fixed the problem on Monday evening, because the Russian-language version of Siri now gives lists from the internet when asked about nearby gay clubs."
PinkNews is the blog of the guys publicizing the claim and provides a hearsay statement from Apple, while Apple is notorious for not giving statements to anyone. Apple does not make "statements" to anybody. . . and did not make a statement to The Telegraph. Alex who was making the claims is also quoted as saying "they are keeping it quiet," which is inconsistent with Apple making a statement to PinkNews, which is not keeping it quiet.
Again, I repeat, no one has reported duplicating the issue in Russia, no one anywhere else other than this singular source has reported a problem. I have been looking for any corroboration and not finding any beyond me too stories all pointing to the single source. News stories need two independent sources. Ergo, it's a spoofed video, an easy thing to do and has been done numerous times.
Yes. IMO it's an obvious spoof. First, c'mon folks, there's NO business or customer reason in the world for Apple to put anti-gay responses in Siri. Second, with their social history, there's even LESS THAN NO reason. Third, there's EVERY reason for someone ELSE to spoof this, given Tim Cook's out-and-about homosexuality and declarations about Apple company policy.
Common sense, Occam's Razor, and just about everything else say this is just a joke. It certainly ain't worth fighting about.
So whaddya say everybody laugh, and then let's discuss something substantive that actually might matter.
F'rinstance, there's an ISIS Camp Just Across Mexican Border - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3279715/posts
Occam’s Razor actually suggests Freelance Warrior’s post is accurate, not Swordmaker’s.
And, interestingly, if you go back through posts, you’ll find that Swordmaker twists the truth. If you suggest ANYTHING contrary to the pro-Apple line, he freaks the hell out of you, starts calling you all kinds of name, and then will call in his entire pro-Apple brigade to suggest you stop “an ally bleeding” just for suggesting Apple doesn’t have the greatest product on the face of the earth.
I'm not gonna argue about some stupid uncorroborated internet tale that is this ridiculous on its face. Seriously. The internet is filled with seemingly-true spoofs like this. You've been on FR since 2000, surely you know that.
> And, interestingly, if you go back through posts, you’ll find that Swordmaker twists the truth. If you suggest ANYTHING contrary to the pro-Apple line, he freaks the hell out of you, starts calling you all kinds of name, and then will call in his entire pro-Apple brigade to suggest you stop “an ally bleeding” just for suggesting Apple doesn’t have the greatest product on the face of the earth.
I'm not defending Swordmaker here, I'm asking for common sense and some civility. Actually, if you go back through posts, you'll find that pretty much EVERYBODY twists stories to their own ends at times, there's no surprise there, it's a freakin internet forum, where "truth" is often in short supply and (like in this case) can only be inferred. FWIW, I'm nobody's fanboy, certainly not Apple's; hell, I run the Microsoft Windows Ping List here, and I'm really a Unix head if anything. My professional job is as a Systems Administrator, and most days, those companies can all go straight to hell for the trouble they all cause me.
But look, I don't give a damn either way about the stupid "topic" (the alleged Siri statements).
I just hate to see fellow FReepers tearing each other up because of their electronic or software preferences.
It's stupid. Damn stupid and pointless. Have a great day fighting with somebody else. Cheers.
I don’t see any reason whatsoever to be having flamewars on FR over computer products. Those who have a problem with Apple should just not buy the product and that takes care of that. Don’t come to FR to flame those who like the product. That’s just dumb. Who cares what computer products people use. Everyone on these threads need to lighten up! On all sides!!That, Sir, is why I bid you Good Day.-- Jim Robinson, Owner of FreeRepublic
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/backroom/2557969/posts?page=143#127
Since this is about the Russian language version, a Russian worker/contractor could have alternated the Siri's word lists. The Apple's management, who is English-speaking, has an understandable problem controlling the language-specific work.
The general attitude to gays in the Russian society is really less favourable than in the Alglo-Saxon world.
Does this explanation suit your Occam criteria?
See how Siri responds when you ask about "f*gg*t clubs" instead of "gay clubs". It could just be that the Russian word used was in a list of expletives.
I actually tried this peacemaking tactic before:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3270408/posts?page=51#51
The problem is that Swordmaker and Star Traveler control ALL Apple threads on this forum. (Duplicate threads get pulled, right?) So if you actually have any interest in Apple news, you must visit their threads.
Now... try posting something contrarian to the Apple approved line on that thread. You are immediately told to get off the thread, called an Apple hater, or accused of spreading disinformation. If Swordmaker can’t shoo you away himself, he calls in his minions to insult you and spout vulgarity especially at you.
The pattern is stunning.
Now Apple is the largest company in the world. It deserves to be analyzed and debated in a reasonable fashion. Swordmaker works hard to ensure that only the pro-Apple line gets heard. Any other comment is belittled and dismissed as being solely part of the Apple Hater’s Cult (tm).
So there you have it. Swordmaker has created an environment in which Apple can only be discussed one way. If you don’t like it, get off the Apple threads... that he solely controls!
Wow! I was totally unaware I had that much power. Simply amazing. I do not control what threads get pulled and what threads do not get pulled. I have had MY threads pulled for being duplicates, bolobaby. I am not in control of anything except the accuracy of what I post.
The insults and vulgarities invariably start from the Apple hate brigade. . . It is like they are programed to do it.
First, you control the Apple threads because you post them en masse and quickly. So, you tend to be OP on 90% of Apple threads. So, the only way I could post an Apple thread on which to have a discussion where I am NOT told to, “go away” if I don’t agree would be to somehow post first. That’s not going to happen. You end up holding the “high ground” when it comes to “JUST STAY OFF OUR THREAD” for that reason.
Second, my personal experience is that I have joined Apple threads to simply question things like market share and expected sales performance. In all cases, the default assumption is that I am an “APPLE HATER.” (This, despite my repeated indications that I actually do not hate Apple, have owned Apple products in the past, and still have at least two Apple product in the house now. Nonetheless, if I dare to indicate that I prefer my Samsung to the Apple experience, I’m immediately branded an APPLE HATER for actually having a non-Apple preference.)
In no cases have I used any vulgarities, but have had plenty of them tossed at me by your ping list. My favorite is still “anal bleeder.” Usually, though, they are just along the lines of “stay the $^%$ off our thread TROLL!” (See point #1)
So now we’ve gotten into a situation where, as a technologist, I still like to read Apple stuff. As a FR member, I like to scroll through the comments. As a conservative, I like to think rationally and sometimes comment. But when I post something like...
“Apple still doesn’t hold majority market share and... blah blah blah...”
...and the responses either completely DENY the premise of the initial observation, Baghdad Bob style, or all contain...
“The problem with you Apple Haters is...”
...it gets a little laughable. So now I have started to read through the comments just to see the contortions that you’ll go through to twist the facts in favor of Apple. Every time.
Tell me: is there anything Apple has ever done wrong or is currently doing wrong? Anything at all?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/16/apple-fixes-homophobic-russian-siri-emotion-should/
According to the Washington Times, it looks like Apple may have tacitly acknowledged this was not FUD, but in fact the actual performance for Siri by saying the problem was “fixed.”
So +1 to Freelance Warrior for correctly identifying the *real* Occam’s Razor answer, which is that the Russian word for “gay” was accidentally put on a “bad words list” and subsequently removed. (Probably misinterpreted as “f*ggot,” hence getting added to the list.)
+1 more for Freelance Warrior for understanding that adding and removing restricted words is actually NOT a huge programming task to fix, but more like a database update.
This has nothing to do with hating Apple. It’s a case study in the immediate pro-Apple spin given on this board to a rather simplistic problem.
Okay, assuming the story is real, I'll go with the explanation that "gay" and possibly related words were mistakenly (inadvertently or intentionally, we don't know) placed in a list of disallowed words, generating the Siri responses, and then the words were later removed. That's a sensible and Occam's Razor compliant explanation in my book.
In fact, I saw FW's comment early today before work, but didn't get a chance to respond -- between a pile of inexplicable server hangs, and my boss's credentials getting compromised while he's out on vacation (probably logged in remotely from a damn infected public terminal somewhere), I didn't get a chance to FReep until 8PM tonight. Aarrrrggh!
Glad we can put this one to bed.
Boss’s credentials compromised. Yikes.
I made a similar bone headed mistake today by accident. I forgot my screen was still being shared and accidentally opened an email with s junior dev’s compensation listed. It wasn’t up long, and everyone claimed to have not seen anything, but I still feel dumb as hell.
Serves me right for multitasking.
LOL. Been there, done that. :)
Long comment/response to earlier comments on the way....
Allow me to claim impartiality for a moment and make a lengthy observation.
(Disclaimer: Among my possessions is Apple gear; also Fujitsu, Samsung, Sony, HP, Dell, Seagate, Glyph, and many others. I work on Windows, Linux, OS-X, BSD Unix, Solaris (God help me), every day. My current work workstation is CentOS Linux with a Win7 VM; my current home system is a Mac Mini with Win7 and CentOS VMs and another Win7 in BootCamp; my portable is a Win7 Fujitsu LifeBook, my den entertainment PC is a MacMini running Win7 in BootCamp.... you get the picture? No favorites, no fanboys.)
Okay, I've watched for many years as the Apple threads, whether OP'ed by Swordmaker or someone else, are attacked by anti-Apple FReepers who:
So what the hell are those anti-Apple FReepers on the thread for, if they don't own Apple gear, and don't own Apple stock, and think that everything about Apple and people who buy Apple gear is crap? Face it, they are on the thread to make trouble, and shut down the thread so that it's unreadable, or gets pulled. Nothing else. Period.
If I were Swordmaker, I would have given up fending off these hateful cretins long ago. It's a wonder he has any fingertips lately, for all the flames he's withstood, and to be fair, those he's shot back, too. Personal attacks are so out of line... it's like reading the damn DemocraticUnderground, not a Conservative family-safe forum. I like to re-read JimRob's statement I quoted a few comments above from time to time to remind me that we're just talking about a damn computer, it's dumb to flame.
God willing and the creek don't rise, my Windows Ping List will not suffer the same fiery fate. For better or worse, the folks who visit the Windows threads to make negative comments seem to be content with a couple of weak epithets like "Windoze" and "Get a Mac!" or "Get Linux!", which are pretty easy to tolerate. Certainly they're no match for the vitriol I've seen on the Apple threads.
All the above is just my 2 cents; thanks for reading it.
I do appreciate your efforts towards civility and encourage you to keep trying, along with those of us whose interest in tech threads is to exchange hints and wisdom, news and Q&A, and have an enjoyable time doing it.
Dude. Don't try to deny it. You are actually the purified, enlightened, returned-to-Earth, reincarnated spirit of Steve Jobs.
Am I right?
Okay, okay, so I make one little mistake... :)
I’ve looked in on your Windows threads many times. You tell it like it is, not how you wish it to be. I appreciate that.
Again - the real problem I have is that the Apple threads I think have gotten worse because the originators of the threads twist them to a positive spin for Apple every time. At least when you post a thread on a Windows security vulnerability, you don’t pretend like Microsoft is some perfect corporate tech god. (I think it was you who put up the HTTP vulnerability last night, for example.)
I’ve actually had some reasonable conversations about Apple pros and cons, but via Freepmail, because the threads are a toxic wasteland of pro-Apple spin. I wonder if that is why the Apple threads attract the unreasonable haters...? Kind of like those young-earth creationist threads and Bitcoin threads from a while back. Dissent on those topics was also highly frowned upon.
Hm.
I’d just love to be able to discuss the actually merits of the tech without deflection (”Oooh... Microsoft is just as bad!” or “Yeah, but *record prooooofits!*”) or spin (”This is obviously misinformation” or “Even though I have no proof either way, I’m going to SAY that it’s only happening to a small, teeny tiny percentage of Apple users!”)
Sigh.
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