Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the company of using its Siri virtual assistant to eavesdrop on users of iPhones and other Apple devices.
The lawsuit, which has been ongoing for five years, claims that Siri recorded conversations without user consent, even when the device wasn’t intentionally activated by the “Hey, Siri” trigger phrase. The recordings were allegedly shared with advertisers to tailor ads to consumers based on their conversations.
The settlement, filed in an Oakland, California federal court, covers consumers who owned Siri-enabled devices from September 17, 2014, to December 31, 2024.
If approved by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, eligible users could receive up to $20 per device, with a cap of compensation for five devices per individual.
However, the actual amount might vary depending on the number of claims filed, with an estimated participation rate of only 3% to 5% of eligible consumers.
Apple denies any wrongdoing as part of this settlement but has agreed to compensate affected users.
The settlement amount is significantly less than the potential $1.5 billion in damages that could have been awarded if the case had gone to trial and Apple was found liable for violations of wiretapping and privacy laws.
A hearing to review the settlement terms is proposed for February 14, 2024 in Oakland.
