Siri is designed to respond when users say specific wake words or phrases like ‘Hey, Siri’.
Initiated five years ago, the lawsuit alleged that Apple’s feature was capturing private conversations without the consent of users and potentially sharing their data.
Two individuals involved in the lawsuit reported seeing more ads for Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden restaurants after mentioning them, while a third individual noticed ads for a specific surgical treatment he believed he discussed only with his doctor.
The lawsuit accused Apple of gathering conversations through ‘unintended Siri activation’.
Recently, Apple has consented to a preliminary settlement of $95,000,000, filed in Oakland, California federal court, to resolve the claim and provide compensation to users whose private conversations were allegedly recorded.
Apple has denied any wrongdoing in the proposed settlement, stating, ‘Apple has at all times denied and continues to deny any and all alleged wrongdoing and liability’.
The agreement now awaits formal approval from US District Judge Jeffrey White. If sanctioned, it would provide US Apple users up to $20 per device equipped with Siri, such as iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches.
The period considered runs from September 17, 2014, to December 31, 2024, marking the inclusion of the ‘Hey, Siri’ feature, allowing tens of millions of users whose devices allegedly used unauthorized recordings to potentially receive compensation from the settlement.
Furthermore, Apple must confirm it has deleted any private conversations accidentally captured by Siri and must better inform users about the usage of their voice data.
The plaintiffs’ attorneys may also seek approximately $28.5 million in fees and $1.1 million for expenses from the settlement fund.
The $95 million settlement is estimated to cover about nine hours of profit for Apple, whose net earnings reached $93.74 billion in the last fiscal year.
This settlement follows similar agreements by other major tech companies accused of infringing on users’ privacy. In 2023, Amazon agreed to pay $30 million to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for alleged privacy breaches involving its Ring doorbell cameras and Alexa assistant.
A similar lawsuit concerning Google’s Voice Assistant is also pending in the San Jose, California federal court, where the plaintiffs are represented by the same legal firms as in the Apple case.
Apple has yet to issue an official statement regarding the settlement.