Apple to Pay $95 Million to Settle Siri Privacy Lawsuit
Lawyers for the plaintiffs may request up to $28.5 million in fees and $1.1 million for expenses.
Apple will pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging its Siri voice assistant violated user privacy by recording conversations unintentionally.
The settlement, filed in federal court in Oakland, California, awaits approval from US District Judge Jeffrey White.
Users claimed Apple regularly recorded private conversations after accidental activations of Siri and shared them with third parties, including advertisers.
Voice assistants like Siri are activated by “hot words” such as “Hey, Siri.” Two plaintiffs said that discussions about Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden restaurants led to targeted ads.
Another said his conversation about a surgical treatment with his doctor triggered related ads.
The class period spans from September 17, 2014, to December 31, 2024, when Siri introduced the “Hey, Siri” feature, believed to be responsible for the unauthorized recordings.
Class members may receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, such as iPhones and Apple Watches. Apple has denied wrongdoing but agreed to settle.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs may request up to $28.5 million in fees and $1.1 million for expenses.
The $95 million is roughly equivalent to nine hours of Apple’s profit, based on the company’s net income of $93.74 billion last fiscal year.
A similar case against Google’s Voice Assistant is pending in the same court district.