Apple to Pay $95 Million to Resolve Siri Privacy Lawsuit – One America News Network
January 2, 2025 – 8:12 AM PST
(Reuters) – Apple (AAPL.O) has agreed to a $95 million cash settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit alleging that its voice-activated Siri assistant infringed on user privacy.
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A preliminary settlement was submitted in federal court in Oakland, California, on Tuesday evening and awaits approval from U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White.
Owners of mobile devices reported that Apple frequently captured their private conversations after they accidentally activated Siri and shared these discussions with third parties, including advertisers.
Voice assistants generally respond when users say “hot words” like “Hey, Siri.”
Two individuals noted that their conversations about Air Jordan shoes and Olive Garden restaurants triggered advertisements for these products. Another person reported receiving ads for a specific surgical treatment after discussing it, believing it was a private conversation with his physician.
The class period spans from September 17, 2014, to December 31, 2024, starting from when Siri introduced the “Hey, Siri” feature, which allegedly caused the unauthorized recordings.
Class members, estimated to be in the tens of millions, could receive as much as $20 for each Siri-enabled device they own, including iPhones and Apple Watches.
Apple has denied any wrongdoing in coming to this settlement.
The company and its legal team did not provide immediate comments when approached on Thursday.
Lawyers representing the plaintiffs also did not respond right away to similar inquiries. They may request up to $28.5 million in fees, in addition to $1.1 million for expenses from the settlement fund.
The $95 million represents roughly nine hours of profit for Apple, which posted a net income of $93.74 billion in its most recent fiscal year.
A related lawsuit regarding Google’s (GOOGL.O) Voice Assistant is ongoing in federal court in San Jose, California, located in the same district as Oakland. The plaintiffs are represented by the same legal firms involved in the Apple case.
The case is titled Lopez et al v. Apple Inc., U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 19-04577.
Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Additional reporting by Mike Scarcella; Editing by Susan Fenton
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