Apple has reached a proposed $95 million settlement to resolve allegations that its Siri voice assistant violated privacy of the users by recording private conversations without their consent. The lawsuit claims these recordings were sometimes shared with third parties, raising significant privacy concerns. Filed in a California federal court, the settlement is now awaiting judicial approval.
Wondering what is the Apple and Siri privacy lawsuit? Here’s everything to know about the lawsuit.
Apple and Siri privacy lawsuit explained
Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to resolve claims that its Siri voice assistant violated user privacy. The class action lawsuit alleged that Siri occasionally recorded private conversations unintentionally and shared the data with advertisers, raising significant privacy concerns. The accusations against Siri clashes with Apple’s long-standing promise to protect customer privacy.
The preliminary settlement, filed in an Oakland, California federal court, must still be approved by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White before it becomes official. The lawyers are seeking to schedule the court hearing on February 14 in Oakland. Plaintiffs claimed that discussions about products such as sneakers or restaurants led to targeted ads, suggesting Siri’s activations were not always deliberate. The lawsuit covers Siri-enabled devices used between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024.
Eligible users could receive up to $20 per device, while the plaintiffs’ lawyers seek $28.5 million in legal fees and $1.1 million in expenses from the settlement fund. Though Apple denied any misconduct, they opted for a settlement to avoid further litigation.
The $95 million settlement seems like a minor expense for Apple, whose annual profits exceeded $93 billion. However, it highlights the increasing challenges of voice assistant technologies and their handling of sensitive user data. This case, Lopez et al v. Apple Inc., brings attention to broader concerns over tech companies and privacy.
A similar lawsuit against Google’s Voice Assistant is currently underway in the same district, involving the same legal team.
