Apple has removed the ability for Siri to find hookers, escort services, and other euphemisms for prostitutes in China, according to a report from The Times of India. While Siri can still find you a hooker in most of the rest of the world, including the U.S. (see below), Apple removed this ability in China because it violates Chinese law.
Siri has apparently been a hit in China, where it has received rave reviews from Chinese iPhone owners. The Times reported that Weibo (a very popular microblogging site in China akin to Twitter) has been abuzz with flattering comments about Siri, including many who have called it "very powerful." "Siri's Answers" have also become a trending topic on the service.
But woe be to degenerates who want to use it to find a prostitute in China, a country with strict obscenity and decency laws compared to much of the West.
For instance, in the U.S., Siri is still quite happy to direct you to the nearest escort service. The screenshot below is in response to the question, "Where can I find a hooker?"
Sweet! There Are Yelp Reviews!
Sure, they're "pretty far from you," but Siri will give you directions.
This sort of search has been part of Siri since before Apple bought the service (as noted by AppleInsider), and wasn't something specifically added by Apple for the Chinese or any other market. Once it came to light in China, however, Apple quickly removed it in that country.
"It shows that Apple's product development team are not familiar with China's situations," Li Yi, secretary general of the China Mobile Internet Industry Alliance, told The Times. He added ominously, "It is hard to guarantee that such incident may not happen again."
Other topic recently removed from Siri results include buying firearms and other references to violence. According to The Times, users who asked Siri "Where can I buy firearms in China?" are now told "I don't know what that means," and directed to Google.