Siri Privacy Settlement: Apple Agrees to Pay $95 Million
Apple has agreed to pay $95 million in damages to settle a lawsuit alleging privacy violations related to its Siri voice assistant. The preliminary settlement was filed on Thursday, January 2, in the federal court in Oakland, California, and awaits approval from Judge Jeffrey White, according to Reuters.
The lawsuit alleged that Apple secretly recorded users’ conversations without their consent and shared this information with third parties, particularly advertisers.
Typically, Siri is activated by hot words like “Hey, Siri.” However, users claimed that Siri was inadvertently triggered and recorded their private conversations, which were subsequently used for advertising purposes. Two plaintiffs alleged that after discussing Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden restaurants, they were shown advertisements related to these topics.
The class-action lawsuit covers the period from September 17, 2014, to December 31, 2024. During this timeframe, Siri users may be eligible for up to $20 in compensation.
Apple denied the allegations but agreed to the settlement. Lawyers managing the case may claim fees amounting to $28.5 million and $1.1 million in expenses.
Neither Apple nor the attorneys representing the plaintiffs have commented on the settlement so far.
