More than five years ago, Apple faced a lawsuit regarding the ‘unlawful and intentional recording’ of Siri interactions. After a long process, the case is finally reaching its conclusion, as Apple has consented to a $95 million settlement.
Users could receive up to $20 per affected Siri device due to Apple’s settlement
The prolonged legal dispute concerning Siri recordings is coming to a close with this settlement, as reported by Reuters. The U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White must still approve the settlement in the federal court located in Oakland, California, but it has been submitted with Apple’s agreement as of Tuesday night.
The plaintiffs in the 2019 lawsuit claimed that Apple recorded conversations without user consent, subsequently sharing those interactions with third-party services, leading to targeted advertising related to the ‘Hey Siri’ voice activation feature.
Consequently, users are poised to benefit from the settlement payout.
As noted by Jonathan Stempel in Reuters:
Class members, estimated to be in the tens of millions, could receive as much as $20 for each Siri-enabled device, including iPhones and Apple Watches.
Apple did not admit to any wrongdoing in agreeing to this settlement.
The initial controversy surrounding the lawsuit and Siri-related reporting back in 2019 resulted in several changes implemented by Apple, including:
- an internal review of Siri-related practices, particularly regarding contractor use
- new permission prompts for audio recording via Siri on Apple devices
- and an established privacy feature well-known to users: ‘Ask App Not to Track’
Despite these adjustments over the years, they do not imply an admission of guilt, and today’s settlement similarly does not constitute one.
Nonetheless, the company seems to perceive this settlement as the most favorable outcome it could secure. While I did not verify the calculations, Reuters indicates that the $95 million settlement amounts to “approximately nine hours of profit for Apple.”
No information is currently available on how to claim your share of the payout, but we will keep you updated as the settlement proceeds and further details emerge.
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