Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that its virtual assistant Siri recorded users' private conversations without consent. The settlement, announced Tuesday, could mean payouts of up to $20 per Siri-enabled device for affected users.
The 2019 lawsuit, Lopez v. Apple, Inc., claimed that Siri intercepted and recorded conversations even when users hadn't activated it with the "Hey Siri" wake phrase. The plaintiffs alleged Apple then shared these unauthorized recordings with third-party contractors.
Three plaintiffs reported receiving targeted advertisements after private conversations about products and medical procedures, suggesting their discussions had been captured and used for marketing purposes. One described getting ads for surgical treatments after a confidential conversation with their doctor.
While Apple denies any wrongdoing, the company made several changes to Siri's privacy settings in August 2019. These included making audio recording storage optional, limiting access to Apple employees only, and suspending third-party contractor review of Siri responses.
The settlement covers U.S. owners of Siri-enabled devices whose private conversations were obtained by Apple or shared with third parties between September 17, 2014, and the settlement date. The 2014 date marks when Apple introduced the "Hey Siri" activation phrase.
Before any payments can be distributed, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White must approve the settlement in Oakland federal court. If approved, eligible users could receive up to $20 per qualifying device, though exact payment amounts will depend on the total number of valid claims submitted.
This legal challenge isn't unique to Apple. Google faces similar privacy violation allegations in an ongoing class action lawsuit regarding its voice assistant technology. The same law firms representing plaintiffs in the Apple case are involved in the Google lawsuit, currently being heard in San Jose federal court.
For Apple, a company that markets itself as a privacy champion, the settlement raises questions about its data protection practices. While the $95 million represents only about nine hours of profit for the tech giant, the reputational impact could be more lasting.
The settlement comes after a 2019 Guardian report revealed that Apple contractors regularly heard confidential user conversations while performing quality control reviews of Siri responses, bringing the privacy concerns into public spotlight.