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Rabat – Apple has agreed pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit accusing its voice assistant Siri of violating users’ privacy, the Guardian reported. The settlement is still pending court approval.
The class-action lawsuit claimed that Siri recorded private conversations without consent and shared them with third parties, including advertisers.
The case was filed by iPhone users who said that Siri often started recording after they unintentionally activated it. They also reported receiving targeted ads based on conversations they thought were private.
For example, some plaintiffs mentioned products like Air Jordans or Olive Garden, only to later see ads for those brands. One person even reported getting ads for a medical procedure after discussing it privately with their doctor.
The lawsuit also argued that Apple failed to obtain consent from users before recording their conversations.
This case centers on recordings that occurred between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024, following Siri’s introduction of the “Hey, Siri” feature. Under the terms of the settlement, affected users could receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, such as an iPhone or Apple Watch.
Apple denied any wrongdoing and emphasized its commitment to privacy. The company has previously argued that its devices only listen for the “Hey, Siri” trigger and not for other conversations.
However, Apple contractors were previously able to overhear private conversations while conducting quality checks on Siri. Apple eventually paused this quality assurance program in 2019 and stopped recording audio by default, CBS reported.
