Apple to pay $95 million in Siri privacy suit settlement

MANILA, Philippines – Apple agreed to settle a proposed class action privacy lawsuit by paying $95 million in cash. The lawsuit follows claims Apple’s Siri voice-activated assistant violated the privacy of its users by eavesdropping on them.

The suit alleged Apple activated Siri without the knowledge of its users and without the use of the trigger words “Hey Siri,” recording conversations through Siri-enabled devices — such as iPhones and iPads — from September 17, 2014, to December 31, 2024.

Reuters, in a report on Friday, January 3, said the preliminary settlement was filed on December 31 in the Oakland, California federal court. The settlement would need approval from US District Judge Jeffrey White.

Apple has denied wrongdoing in agreeing to a settlement.

The report mentioned two plaintiffs who said their mentions of Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden restaurant triggered ads for the said products to appear. Meanwhile, a different plaintiff said he received advertising for a brand-name surgical treatment after seemingly private discussions with his doctor.

The class action lawsuit’s period began when Siri incorporated the voice-activated “Hey Siri” trigger word feature which allegedly led to the unauthorized recordings.

Members of the class action lawsuit, estimated to be in the tens of millions, may receive up to $20 for each Siri-enabled device, though a Time report mentioned eligible consumers can only get the compensation on a maximum of five devices. The lawyers for the plaintiffs, meanwhile, may seek up to $28.5 million in fees, plus $1.1 million for expenses, from the settlement fund.

Time added the settlement is a small fraction of the roughly $1.5 billion that lawyers representing consumers had estimated Apple could have been required to pay if it had been found violating wiretapping and other privacy laws in a trial.

$95 million is approximately nine hours of profit for Apple. – Rappler.com