Apple has agreed to a $95 million settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit alleging that Siri, its voice assistant, inadvertently recorded private conversations of users.
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The proposed settlement, reported by Reuters, could provide eligible US-based Apple product owners with payments of up to $20 per device, with a maximum of five devices per claimant. The settlement, which requires court approval, would apply to individuals who owned or purchased Siri-enabled devices (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, iMac, HomePod, iPod touch, or Apple TV) between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024, and can provide sworn testimony that Siri was accidentally activated during private conversations.
The lawsuit stemmed from a 2019 Guardian report that revealed Apple contractors were routinely listening to confidential conversations, including medical information, drug deals, and even intimate encounters, captured by Siri during accidental activations. While Siri is designed to be triggered by a specific wake word, the whistleblower claimed that accidental activations were frequent, triggered by everyday sounds like zippers.
Apple acknowledged the issue, apologized to users, and subsequently ceased the practice of retaining audio recordings for quality control purposes.
This lawsuit is not an isolated incident. Google and Amazon have also faced similar scrutiny regarding the use of human contractors to review voice recordings, including those captured unintentionally. A similar lawsuit against Google is currently pending.
