A class action lawsuit against Apple, concerning the unwanted recording of Siri interactions, has been settled with a payment of 95 million US dollars. The federal court in Oakland, California, approved the settlement, which does not include an admission of guilt by Apple. The lawsuit had been ongoing for several years, with the court previously deciding in September 2021 that the case had merit, despite Apple’s attempts to have it dismissed.
The settlement amount is relatively low compared to other cases Apple has faced, some of which have resulted in payments in the hundreds of millions. The funds will be distributed not only to the participants of the lawsuit but also to the lawyers who pursued the case. The exact amount each person will receive remains unclear.
The period covered by the lawsuit, known as the “Class Period,” spans from September 17, 2014, to December 31, 2024. Individuals residing in the United States who are part of this class may receive “up to 20 dollars” per Siri-enabled device, such as an iPhone or Apple Watch. However, this amount might decrease. Up to 29.6 million dollars is allocated for the lawyers involved, according to Reuters. The 95 million dollars represent about nine hours of Apple’s profit, based on their latest financial figures.
The lawsuit addresses the entire period when the “Hey Siri” feature was active. This feature, which activates the voice assistant, allegedly led to unwanted recordings that were sometimes used for AI training, including review by company employees. There were even allegations during the lawsuit that Apple might have shared private conversations with third parties, such as advertisers, although this was not proven. Some users claimed they saw ads online that seemed related to their private conversations, but this may have been a coincidence.
The lawsuit potentially affects tens of millions of people in the U.S. Apple has not commented on the settlement. Since 2019, Apple has implemented an opt-in feature, allowing users to consent to having their voices used to train Siri. However, many users may choose not to opt-in.
Meanwhile, a similar lawsuit against Google is ongoing, concerning potential eavesdropping by the Google Assistant. This reflects broader concerns about privacy and the use of voice-activated technologies.