Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
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TL;DR
- Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit.
- The proposed lawsuit claims that the company’s voice assistant violated users’ privacy by recording private conversations.
- If the settlement is approved, Apple will offer up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, up to five devices.
Have you ever questioned if your devices are secretly listening to you? If you’re an owner of an iPhone or other Apple device, it seems like that may have been the case. The tech giant has now agreed to pay $95 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit that alleges Siri routinely recorded private conversations and shared that information with third parties for the purpose of ad targeting.
On Tuesday, a preliminary settlement was filed in an Oakland, California federal court. The settlement aims to resolve a lawsuit that’s five years in the making. This lawsuit alleges that Siri would inadvertently activate to record conversations even without a trigger word like “Hey, Siri” being uttered.
This secret recording was first exposed by The Guardian in 2019. A whistleblower told the outlet:
There have been countless instances of recordings featuring private discussions between doctors and patients, business deals, seemingly criminal dealings, sexual encounters and so on. These recordings are accompanied by user data showing location, contact details, and app data.
Some of the plaintiffs add that they were eerily served ads for Air Jordans and Olive Garden shortly after mentioning the brands, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, another plaintiff claims they were served an ad for a specific surgical treatment after talking privately about the same treatment with their doctor.
In the settlement, Apple admits no wrongdoing but agrees that Siri “unintentionally” recorded private conversations. Although this settlement would put Apple on the hook for $95 million, it would let the company off lightly. If the class action lawsuit was certified by the court and Apple users won, the firm would lose a lot more than $95 million. In fact, according to the court filings, it could’ve been fined over $1.5 billion for violating the Wiretap Act alone.
How much will you be able to get?
Before anything happens, the settlement will need to be approved by US District Judge Jeffrey White. That may happen soon, as lawyers in the case have proposed February 14 as the hearing date. If the settlement is approved, don’t expect a huge payout.
It’s unknown how many people were affected by this breach of privacy. Apple is offering compensation to consumers who purchased a Siri-enabled device — including iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and more — between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024. These people will be able to get up to $20 per device and they’ll be able to submit up to five devices.
It’s important to note that Apple isn’t the only company in trouble right now. Google is in a similar situation with its own virtual assistant. That case just happens to be in the same district as this Oakland court and the plaintiffs are being represented by the same law firms.
