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How to keep Siri from exposing your personal data

Even if your phone is passcode-locked, a perpetrator can activate Siri and use the service to access your personal data.

Sharon Profis Vice President of Content, CNET Studios
As the Vice President of CNET Studios, Sharon leads the video, social, editorial design, and branded content teams. Before this role, Sharon led content development and launched new verticals for CNET, including Wellness, Money, and How To. A tech expert herself, she's reviewed and covered countless products, hosted hundreds of videos, and appeared on shows like Good Morning America, CBS Mornings, and the Today Show. An industry expert, Sharon is a recurring Best of Beauty Awards judge for Allure. Sharon is an avid chef and hosts the cooking segment 'Farm to Fork' on PBS nationwide. She's developed and published hundreds of recipes.
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  • Webby Award ("How To, Explainer, and DIY Video"); Folio Changemaker Award, 2020
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Sharon Profis

While you were busy asking Siri for her hand in marriage, CNET discovered that Apple's new voice command service in the iPhone 4S is sporting a serious security issue. Even if your phone is passcode-locked, a perpetrator can activate Siri and use the service to access your personal data.

Apple enables access in the lock screen for convenience so that if you're driving or jogging, for instance, you can quickly complete tasks using Siri without having to enter a passcode.

In testing, we were able to access contact information, addresses, calendar appointments. We could even send text messages and e-mails.

Although some might enjoy the quick access to Siri, others may be concerned about their personal data being exposed if their iPhone 4S got into the wrong hands. The issue here is that Apple leaves your phone unsecured by default and an iPhone owner who isn't looking for this setting might not think of disabling it.

Watch this: Make Siri more secure

Watch the video to get a demo of how Siri reveals your personal data when the phone is locked, and how to fix this setting:

To disable Siri when the iPhone 4S is locked, go to Settings > General > Passcode Lock and turn the option for Siri off.