Oakland, Calif. — Apple Inc. has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that its voice-activated assistant Siri invaded users’ privacy by recording their conversations without consent. The deal, which is awaiting the approval of U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, was submitted to a federal court in Oakland on Tuesday.
The lawsuit claims that Siri, on occasions, was triggered accidentally and recorded private discussions of iPhone and Apple Watch users. These recordings were allegedly shared with third parties, including advertisers, which led to targeted advertisements based on the intercepted conversations. Typically, voice assistants like Siri activate in response to specific phrases, notably “Hey, Siri.”
Specific instances cited in the lawsuit include plaintiffs recounting personalized advertisements following private talks. One discussed Air Jordan sneakers and later saw ads related to them, while another spoke about dining at Olive Garden and subsequently encountered ads for the restaurant chain. Yet another plaintiff mentioned a private conversation with a doctor about a surgical procedure, only to later receive targeted ads for that surgery.
The timeframe for the alleged privacy breaches spans from September 17, 2014, when the “Hey Siri” activation feature was introduced, to December 31, 2024. It is this period during which the unauthorized eavesdropping is reported to have occurred.
The settlement proposes compensation for tens of millions of class members, with eligible participants potentially receiving up to $20 per device equipped with Siri. Notwithstanding the settlement, Apple maintains that it has not engaged in any wrongful acts.
The transition in technology, particularly with devices listening and responding to human interactions, raises substantial privacy concerns. As these devices permeate more aspects of personal life, the implications of their malfunctioning or being exploited for unintended eavesdropping become significant, touching on broader debates about consumer privacy and corporate responsibility in the digital age.
This growing dependency on technology juxtaposed against the need for privacy safeguards suggests an evolving legal and ethical landscape. As companies like Apple lead in innovation, the resolution of such lawsuits also sets precedents in how privacy is treated in the era of smart devices.
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