Apple settled the claims over alleged eavesdropping of the users through Siri at a cost of $95m in this class-action lawsuit. The company was accused by the plaintiffs of recording its users’ conversations against their will and trading those recordings with advertisers so they could target them for advertising.
The technology giant refuted allegations and maintained it never recorded and shared users’ data without their consent. Still, Apple preferred a settlement rather than face the uncertainty and costs of an extended trial.
How Apple dragged itself into $95m listening lawsuit?
The lawsuit alleged that Siri sometimes activates unintentionally, recording private conversations without users saying the wake phrase “Hey, Siri.” Those recordings were apparently shared with advertisers, allowing them to use keywords from conversations to target users with ads.
Lead plaintiff Fumiko Lopez said she and her daughter experienced this firsthand. After discussing Air Jordans, they allegedly received targeted ads for the product.
Apple’s legal team argued that the company has “permanently deleted individual Siri audio recordings” collected before October 2019, highlighting its commitment to user privacy.
Settlement Details
The settlement would pay up to $20 per Siri-enabled device owned by U.S.-based claimants between 2014 and 2019. If approved, the ruling will be finalized on February 14 in Northern California. Lawyers in the case will take 30% of the settlement, which will be almost $30 million.
By settlement, Apple may have avoided paying a potentially larger amount, had the case gone to a jury. The company raked in $94.9 billion in revenues within three months of 2024, demonstrating its financial muscles in the resolution of such cases.
Apple’s Legal Battles
Apple has faced a spate of class-action lawsuits recently. Earlier in 2024, it started making payments toward a $500 million lawsuit alleging deliberate iPhone slowdowns. In March, it agreed to a $490 million settlement over another case in the UK. Meanwhile, a similar lawsuit against Google, alleging unauthorized audio recording, is making its way through the same California court.
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