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Apple has agreed to pay $95 million in a class-action settlement that says Siri’s private conversations were inadvertently recorded and listened to from third party contractors.
If US District Judge Jeffrey White approves proposed togetherfiled Tuesday in Oakland, CA, federal court, affected users will receive up to $20 for Apple devices with Siri, such as the iPhone and Apple Watch.
The lawsuit centers around customer complaints that Siri was inadvertently activated and a 2019 whistleblower report via The Guardian that Apple contractors listened to voice recordings during quality control testing. This included “confidential medical information, drug deals and recordings of couples having sex,” according to the investigation. Siri should be activated only after hearing the wake word “hey Siri”, but there have been reported cases of Siri being activated by other things – such as the sound of a zip, an Apple Watch being raised in a certain way, and hear a voice.
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Apple users have reported that private conversations are being recorded and then shared with third-party advertisers. They can see ads for products mentioned in certain conversations and even a surgical treatment after discussing it with their doctor. Apple next issued a formal apology and said it will no longer save voice recordings.
The process spans the period from September 17, 2014 to December 31, 2024. In order for Apple users to claim their share of the settlement, they must submit a claim for up to five Apple devices with Siri (iPhone, iPad). , Apple Watch, MacBook, iMac, HomePod, iPod touch, or Apple TV) and swear under oath that they inadvertently activated Siri “during a conversation intended to be confidential or private,” the settlement proposal said.
Apple is not the only company in trouble for privacy violations incurred by voice assistants. Google is in the midst of a similar class action lawsuit about Google Assistant being activated without its wake words.
