Apple has agreed to pay $95 million (£77 million) to settle a court case that accused the company of listening to people without their consent through its virtual assistant, Siri. The tech giant was charged with eavesdropping on its customers by allegedly recording their voice interactions without permission.
In addition to the eavesdropping claims, the plaintiffs also argue that the voice recordings were shared with advertisers to help target ads more effectively. While Apple has not admitted to any wrongdoing, it has been approached for comment on the matter.
As part of the preliminary settlement, Apple denies the allegations that it “recorded, disclosed to third parties, or failed to delete, conversations recorded as a result of a Siri activation” without consent. The company also insists that it has permanently deleted all individual Siri audio recordings collected before October 2019.
However, the plaintiffs contend that Apple recorded individuals who activated Siri unintentionally, without saying the phrase “Hey, Siri” to prompt it. They also claim that advertisers who received these recordings could extract keywords from them to tailor advertisements.
Fumiko Lopez, the lead plaintiff, asserts that both she and her daughter were recorded without consent. She claims that after discussing products like Air Jordans, they were served with targeted ads related to those products.
The proposed settlement will be presented to a court in Northern California, with a decision expected by February 14.
Class action lawsuits typically involve a small group of individuals representing a larger group of affected people. If successful, the settlement funds are distributed among all claimants.
According to court documents, each eligible claimant in the U.S. could receive up to $20 for each Siri-enabled device they owned between 2014 and 2019. Lawyers in the case could receive 30% of the settlement, plus expenses, which amounts to just under $30 million.
By agreeing to settle, Apple not only denies any wrongdoing but also avoids the risk of a prolonged legal battle that could result in a much larger payout. The company reported $94.9 billion in revenue for the three months ending September 28, 2024.
Apple has faced multiple class action lawsuits in recent years. In January 2024, it began paying out a $500 million settlement in a case that accused the company of deliberately slowing down iPhones in the U.S.
In March, it agreed to pay $490 million in a class action led by Norfolk County Council in the UK. Additionally, in November, the consumer group Which? launched a class action against Apple, claiming the company was overcharging customers through its iCloud service.
The same law firm representing the plaintiffs in this case is also suing Google in a similar class action, accusing the company of listening to its customers through Google devices. This lawsuit is currently ongoing in the same Northern California court.