The US tech giant has settled a lawsuit over alleged privacy violations by the virtual assistant.
US tech giant Apple has agreed to a $95 million settlement of a lawsuit alleging its Siri voice assistant inadvertently recorded users’ private conversations, multiple outlets reported, citing court records. Recordings were reportedly reviewed by third-party contractors as part of Apple’s quality control process.
According to a preliminary settlement filed on Tuesday in an Oakland, California federal court, tens of millions of people may receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, such as iPhones and Apple Watches.
The settlement applies to US users who owned a Siri-enabled device between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024. The settlement is awaiting judicial approval.
The class-action lawsuit followed a 2019 report by the Guardian that claimed that Siri could be accidentally activated, and Apple contractors regularly heard confidential medical information, drug deals, and recordings of couples having sex as part of their job providing quality control of the voice assistant.
Apple denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle. In response to the controversy in 2019, the company announced changes to its privacy practices, including the suspension of the Siri grading program and the introduction of an opt-in feature for users to share their recordings.
The $95 million is about nine hours of profit for Apple, whose net income was $93.74 billion in its latest fiscal year, noted Reuters.
Users seeking to determine their eligibility and submit claims can visit the official settlement website once it becomes available. The deadline for claims submission will be announced following court approval of the settlement.
This case comes as broader scrutiny is being given to tech companies’ handling of user data. Similar lawsuits have been filed against other voice assistant providers, including Google and Amazon, concerning unauthorized recordings and data privacy concerns.
Image credit: Omid Armin
Chump change for the technocrats experimenting with their digital prison designs for the masses.