Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that the tech giant misused its virtual assistant Siri to eavesdrop on users of its iPhone and other devices. The proposed settlement, filed in an Oakland, California federal court, aims to resolve a five-year-old legal battle that accused Apple of activating Siri to listen in on conversations without users’ consent.
The lawsuit claimed that Apple surreptitiously enabled Siri to record interactions through iPhones and other devices equipped with the virtual assistant over a span of more than a decade. These recordings were said to have taken place even when users did not intentionally activate Siri with the trigger phrase, “Hey, Siri.” It was alleged that some of these recorded conversations were shared with advertisers to target consumers more effectively with their products and services.
This revelation about Siri’s activity contradicted Apple’s longstanding commitment to safeguarding user privacy, a principle championed by CEO Tim Cook as a core value and a defense of “a fundamental human right.”
However, Apple has not admitted any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, which is subject to approval by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White. A court hearing scheduled for February 14 in Oakland will review the terms of the proposed settlement.
If approved, millions of consumers who owned iPhones and other Apple devices between September 17, 2014, and the end of last year may be eligible to file claims. Each consumer could potentially receive up to $20 for each Siri-enabled device covered by the settlement, with the final amount adjusted depending on the number of claims received. Estimates from court documents suggest that only 3% to 5% of eligible consumers are expected to file claims.
Consumers seeking compensation will be limited to claims on a maximum of five devices per person. The settlement amount, totaling $95 million, represents only a fraction of Apple’s profits amounting to $705 billion since September 2014.
Furthermore, it is significantly less than the estimated $1.5 billion that consumer lawyers had previously anticipated Apple might have to pay if found guilty of violating wiretapping and privacy laws in a trial.
Part of the settlement fund, up to $29.6 million, may be allocated to cover the fees and expenses of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit, as outlined in court documents.
Pending the court’s approval, the settlement is poised to bring resolution to a contentious legal dispute that has highlighted the importance of privacy protection in the digital age and underscored the responsibility of tech companies to uphold user trust and data security. Apple’s agreement to settle demonstrates a commitment to addressing the concerns raised by the lawsuit and moving forward with transparency and accountability in its practices related to user privacy.
