Apple Inc. recently agreed to pay $95 million as part of a settlement with users whose private conversations were inadvertently captured by its voice assistant, Siri, and may have been heard by human employees.
According to reports, this settlement could allow many Apple product users in the U.S. to receive up to $20 per device, with a maximum claim for five Siri-enabled devices. It is important to note that this settlement still requires judicial approval.
If approved, the settlement funds will apply to certain U.S. users who owned or purchased Siri-enabled iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, MacBooks, iMacs, HomePods, iPod touches, or Apple TVs between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024. Users must also meet one main condition: they need to swear in court that Siri was inadvertently activated during what should have been a private conversation.
The lawsuit originated from a 2019 report by The Guardian, which claimed that Apple’s third-party contractors often overheard confidential medical information, drug transactions, and private conversations between couples while conducting Siri quality control. Although Siri is supposed to be activated by specific wake words, a whistleblower stated that accidental activations are quite common, with even the sound of a zipper potentially waking Siri. Following The Guardian's report, Apple stated that only a small portion of Siri recordings were sent to contractors and formally apologized, promising to stop retaining audio recordings.
Among the plaintiffs in this lawsuit is a minor who claims that their iPhone inadvertently recorded their conversations multiple times, sometimes even without them saying the wake word. In addition to Apple, Google and Amazon also face similar allegations, as these companies also use contractors to listen to recorded conversations, including those captured inadvertently. Furthermore, Google is facing a similar ongoing lawsuit.
Key Points:
🔊 Apple agrees to pay $95 million to settle with users monitored by Siri.
📱 Users can claim compensation of up to $20 per device, for a maximum of five Siri devices.
🕵️ The lawsuit originated from a 2019 report revealing privacy issues related to human contractors listening to Siri recordings.
