Apple has agreed to a $95 million (£77 million) settlement to resolve allegations that its Siri virtual assistant eavesdropped on users without their consent.
The lawsuit claimed Apple recorded conversations and shared voice data with advertisers, raising significant privacy concerns.
The tech giant denies any wrongdoing, stating it never deliberately recorded, disclosed, or failed to delete private conversations initiated by accidental Siri activations. As part of the settlement, Apple asserts that it has permanently deleted all individual Siri audio recordings collected before October 2019.
The claimants allege Siri was triggered unintentionally, capturing conversations without the activation phrase “Hey, Siri.” They further claim that advertisers accessed these recordings, using keywords to target ads. Lead plaintiff Fumiko Lopez alleged she and her daughter were recorded without consent and later received ads for products like Air Jordans after discussing them.
The class action lawsuit, filed in Northern California, allows a few individuals to represent a larger group. If approved, the settlement could see eligible U.S. claimants receiving up to $20 per Siri-enabled device owned between 2014 and 2019. Lawyers involved stand to claim 30% of the settlement, amounting to nearly $30 million.
By settling, Apple avoids the risk of a protracted court battle and potential larger payouts. The decision date for the court to finalize the settlement is proposed for February 14, 2025.
Apple’s financial resilience remains unshaken, with the company reporting $94.9 billion in revenue for the quarter ending September 28, 2024. However, it continues to face scrutiny over its business practices.
Earlier this year, Apple began paying out $500 million for allegedly slowing down iPhones and agreed to a $490 million settlement over App Store policies. In the UK, consumer advocacy group Which? is pursuing a class action accusing Apple of unfair practices with its iCloud service.
Meanwhile, a similar lawsuit is ongoing against Google, alleging its devices also eavesdropped on users. Both cases underline the growing legal and ethical challenges tech giants face concerning user privacy.
Source: BBC News