Apple agreed to pay 95 million dollars to settle a collective lawsuit filed by a group of users who claimed that her voice assistant “Siri” listened to private conversations without permission. This lawsuit came as a result of accusations that Siri had recorded personal talks as a result of an unintended activation, and this data was shared with third parties.
The lawsuit and accusations
Lopez’s lawsuit was filed against Apple in December, where users accused the company of registering private conversations as a result of activating the unintended Siri. According to the lawsuit, these talks, which were supposed to be secret, had been shared with two -party contractors.
Two of the plaintiffs in the case described how they received ads addressed to certain products after talking about these products in private conversations. One of the plaintiffs also claimed that he had received an announcement of a medical treatment after a special conversation with a doctor.
Siri and spy
This is not the first time that Siri was accused of spying. In 2019, one of the informed revealed that the contractors who were evaluating the Siri event had listened to various talks, including criminal transactions.
Settlement details with Apple
Under the settlement, users who own or buy devices equipped with a Siri and suffer from an unintended activation of Siri during private conversations, can apply for compensation of up to $ 100.
Each user can submit a claim of $ 20 per device, provided that the final amount is determined based on the number of acceptable claims. The eligible devices include iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Apple Watch, Aimac, Home Pod, Apple TV, and iPod Touch, provided that they have been purchased and used between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024.
