CUPERTINO: Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that its Siri voice assistant violated users’ privacy by recording private conversations. The settlement, filed in a federal court in Oakland, California, will be subject to approval by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White.
The lawsuit claims that Apple’s Siri, which activates when users say the “Hey, Siri” command, unintentionally recorded conversations and shared them with third parties, including advertisers. Plaintiffs in the case argued that this practice led to targeted ads based on private conversations. For example, two plaintiffs reported seeing ads for Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden restaurants after discussing those topics, while another complained about receiving surgical treatment ads after a private conversation with a doctor.
The class period for the lawsuit spans from September 17, 2014, to December 31, 2024, starting when Siri introduced the “Hey, Siri” feature, which allegedly triggered the unauthorized recordings. Apple has denied any wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.
The settlement amount, although substantial, represents a small fraction of Apple’s profits—equivalent to approximately nine hours of the company’s earnings, as its most recent fiscal year showed a net income of $93.74 billion. Class members, estimated to number in the tens of millions, are expected to receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, such as iPhones and Apple Watches.
Legal representatives for the plaintiffs may request up to $28.5 million in fees, along with an additional $1.1 million for expenses from the settlement fund.
In a related case, a similar lawsuit has been filed against Google over its Voice Assistant, with the same law firms representing plaintiffs in both cases.
The case is titled Lopez et al v. Apple Inc., U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 19-04577.
