In brief
In a significant legal development, Apple has consented to a $95 million settlement for allegations regarding its virtual assistant, Siri, in a lawsuit asserting that the company had been surreptitiously listening to its users.
Apple recently reached a preliminary settlement, agreeing to pay $95 million to resolve allegations that its virtual assistant, Siri, was eavesdropping on users without their consent. The lawsuit claims that voice recordings made by Siri were misused and potentially shared with advertisers. Despite agreeing to the settlement, Apple denied any wrongdoing, stating that it never intentionally recorded, shared, or failed to delete conversations activated by Siri without consent. The tech company further mentioned that it has permanently erased individual audio recordings collected before October 2019.The lawsuit, which is a class action, was initiated by lead plaintiff Fumiko Lopez and her daughter, who alleged that they were recorded unintentionally while using Siri and subsequently received targeted advertisements based on their conversations about products such as Air Jordans. According to the court documents, eligible claimants in the U.S. could receive up to $20 for each Siri-enabled device owned between 2014 and 2019. The legal fees for the lawyers could amount to nearly $30 million.By settling the case, Apple avoids the uncertainties of a courtroom trial and potential larger financial penalties. This settlement comes on the heels of other class action lawsuits Apple has faced in recent years regarding issues like intentional slowing down of iPhones and allegations of overcharging customers through its iCloud service. Furthermore, similar claims against Google concerning its services are also currently underway in the same court in Northern California.
