In brief
Apple has reached an agreement to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit concerning its virtual assistant Siri, which was accused of allegedly listening to users without their consent. The lawsuit suggested that Siri recorded conversations even when users did not activate it with the phrase "Hey, Siri." Lead plaintiff Fumiko Lopez claims she and her daughter were recorded during private conversations and subsequently targeted with relevant advertisements.
The tech company affirmed that it has not admitted to any wrongdoing and insists it no longer retains individual Siri audio recordings made before October 2019. The settlement aims to resolve complaints that recordings could jammed their way to advertisers, allowing them to tailor ads based on users' conversations. The class action lawsuit allows other affected US residents, who owned Siri-enabled devices from 2014 to 2019, to claim up to $20 each.With this settlement, Apple sidesteps a prolonged court battle that might have resulted in even more substantial costs, while it continues to face other lawsuits, including actions regarding iPhone performance and alleged misconduct connected to its iCloud services. In the ever-evolving discourse around data privacy, this case exemplifies the challenges faced by both tech giants and consumers in safeguarding personal information against unauthorized utilization. The court has proposed a decision date for the settlement on 14 February, highlighting a cautionary tale for users concerning digital privacy rights.
