Apple has filed a preliminary settlement in federal court in Oakland, California, agreeing to pay $95 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit alleging that Apple's Siri voice feature violated the privacy of customers whose conversations were inadvertently recorded. The settlement , which the company has filed, requires the approval of U.S District Judge Jeffrey White to be approved.
If approved, the settlement will apply to a subset of U.S residents who own or purchased an iPhone,Apple Watch, MacBook, iMac, HomePod,iPad touch, or Apple TV. The period covered by the class action lawsuit is from September 17, 2024, through December 31, 2024, and began with the introduction of Siri's "Hey Siri" feature, which is believed to cause unauthorized recordings.
This comes after complaints from mobile device owners that Apple routinely records thier private conversations after they inadvertently activate Siri, and those conversations are disclosed to third parties, including adertisers. The tens of millions of users of the feautre could receive about $20 for each Siri-enabled device.
Mobile device owners have complained that Apple routinely records thier private conversations after they inadvertently activate Siri, and those conversation are disclosed to third parties, such as advertiser. The voice assistant typically reacts when people use certain words that trigger a reaction, such as "Hey, Siri"
Two plaintiffs said that mentioning Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden restaurants led to ads for those products appearing, and another added that he saw ads for a surgical treatment offered by a medical center after talking about it with his doctor alone. Despite Apple agreeing to the settlement, the comany has denied any wrongdoing in relation to the subject of the lawsuit.
In recent years, Apple has prided itself on protecting the privacy of its customers, something which CEO Tim Cook has labelled a “fundamental human right.”
This payment could be reduced or increased depending on how many people make claims. It is estimated that only 3-5 per cent of eligible consumers will file claims, according to court documents.
However much Apple ends up paying out, it will be a drop in the ocean compared to the $705bn the company has made in profits since September 2014.
Apple wasn't the only company accused of listening to secret recordings. Google and Amazon have also been accused of listening to recorded conversation, and a similar lawsuit aganist Google is pending.