Apple Settles $95 Million Siri Privacy Lawsuit; Users May Get Up to $20 per Device

Jan 3, 2025, 08:25 AM

Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging that its voice assistant, Siri, violated users' privacy by unintentionally recording private conversations over more than a decade and sharing them with third parties, including advertisers. The lawsuit claimed that Siri was inadvertently activated on devices such as iPhones and Apple Watches, leading to the recording of personal conversations without users' consent. These recordings were allegedly disclosed to third parties, resulting in targeted advertising. The settlement, which requires approval by a U.S. federal court in Oakland, California, could potentially compensate eligible users with up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, limited to a maximum of five devices per user. The settlement covers consumers who owned Siri-enabled devices between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024. While Apple denies any wrongdoing, it has agreed to the payout and must delete certain Siri audio recordings collected prior to October 2019.