Apple Settles $95M Siri Lawsuit Over Privacy Breach Allegations and Unintended Recordings
Apple will compensate U.S. users with Siri-enabled devices for unintentional voice recordings that allegedly captured private conversations. Payments start at $20, with a filing deadline of May 15, 2025.
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Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that said Siri, its virtual helper, listened in on private talks without users' permission. The case said Siri thought sounds were its wake phrase when they weren't, which caused it to record private conversations without meaning to. People who are eligible to make a claim, such as U.S. users of devices with Siri that were released between 2014 and 2019, can get at least $20.
The case came to light after a 2019 story in The Guardian that quoted a whistleblower who said people listened in on private talks while giving Siri grades. The plaintiffs also said that Apple gave these recordings to marketers, who then used the information to show ads only to certain people. For example, one person said they got ads for sneakers and food chains after talking about them in private, and another said they got ads for surgical treatments after talking about surgery in private.
Apple denied doing anything wrong, but after the 2019 leaks, it apologized officially and made changes to protect users' data. Some of these were letting users choose not to have Siri collect their data, setting the default to not keeping voice records, and limiting access to anonymized data to improve quality. The business also said that Siri will only reply to clear, conscious wake phrases, such as "Hey, Siri."
As part of the settlement, applicants must swear under oath that Siri activated and taped private talks without their permission. A claims system should be up and running in 45 days, and the last day to file is May 15, 2025. A big chunk of the settlement fund is likely to go to legal fees. The rest will be split among the claims.
As the deal waits for court approval, Apple users who are worried about privacy can turn off Siri on their devices by changing the settings. In this case, it's clear that worries about data privacy are rising in this age of AI helpers.
Source : The indian Express
