Apple agrees to $95M settlement to end privacy lawsuit over Siri recordings
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Siri was the target of a privacy-based lawsuit. Last updated 11 hours ago. Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit, accusing the company of violating user privacy due to recording conversations after accidentally activating Siri.
The preliminary settlement, filed in an Oakland, California federal court on Tuesday, sees Apple proposing a payment of $95 million to the class to end the 2019 lawsuit. The class consists of customers who used Siri-enabled Apple products from September 17, 2014 to December 31, 2024. With tens of millions of potential class members, each may receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled device.
This would include the iPhone and iPad, as well as Mac hardware, the Apple Watch, and HomePod. However, the figure could be a lot less, as usual for a class-action lawsuit. Reuters reports lawyers for the plaintiffs can seek up to $28.5 million in fees and $1.1 million for expenses, charged to the fund.
The settlement still requires approval from U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White before it can be paid out. Despite agreeing to pay, Apple still denied any wrongdoing in its settlement. Apple did not formally respond to the publication's request for comment.
The lawsuit claimed Apple had unlawfully recorded conversations without permission, via the use of Siri. Some plaintiffs claimed that discussions of products such as Air Jordan and Olive Garden restaurants prompted ads to be served for those products. However, Apple's privacy systems would prevent such targeted advertising to occur based on recordings from Siri specifically.
