In a noteworthy legal resolution, Apple has agreed to a substantial $95 million settlement related to a privacy lawsuit over its voice assistant, Siri.
The lawsuit claimed that Siri recorded conversations without user activation through the "Hey Siri" command. Furthermore, the plaintiffs alleged that Apple shared these recordings with advertisers, purportedly to help them tailor their marketing strategies toward consumers based on unsolicited data gathered during these recordings.
By reaching this settlement,
In iOS 18.2, Siri incorporates ChatGPT integration with Apple Intelligence. | Image credit-PhoneArena
If the settlement gets the green light, millions of individuals who possessed an iPhone or other Apple devices from September 17, 2014, through December 31, 2022, may file a claim. Each claimant could receive up to $20 for every Siri-enabled device they owned during this period. It's estimated that only 3% to 5% of eligible Apple users will actually submit claims, with a cap of five devices per consumer for compensation.
As is customary in class-action lawsuits, it's the legal representatives who stand to gain significantly from this settlement. The attorneys involved are requesting almost $29.6 million for their fees and related costs. For Apple, settling this case translates into substantial savings; had the trial proceeded and resulted in a finding of liability for violating privacy laws and wiretapping statutes, the cost could have soared to $1.5 billion.
Apple launched Siri alongside the iPhone 4s in October 2011. In 2019, the company faced accusations of sending recordings of users' Siri interactions to third-party contractors for evaluation without the consent of those recorded, ostensibly to enhance Siri's functionality. Some of these recordings were reportedly used for grading Siri's performance, raising further concerns about user privacy.
