Apple To Pay $95 Mln To Settle Siri Privacy Lawsuit

(RTTNews) - Apple Inc. (AAPL) has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit that alleges the tech giant's voice-activated Siri assistant violated users privacy.

The preliminary settlement was filed in the federal court of Oakland, California on Tuesday, and requires approval from U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White.

Owners of Apple devices complained that Apple was regularly recording their private conversations when Siri was unintentionally activated. These recorded conversations were reportedly disclosed to third parties, including advertisers. Voice assistants like Siri usually respond to specific "hot words", such as "Hey, Siri."

Two plaintiffs said their mentions of Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden restaurants triggered ads for those products. Another said he got ads for a brand-name surgical treatment after discussing it privately with his doctor.

The class action period spans from Sept. 17, 2014 to Dec. 31, 2024. This period started when Siri began using the "Hey, Siri" feature, which is alleged to have led to these unauthorized recordings.

Class members, estimated in the tens of millions, may receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, such as iPhones and Apple Watches.

Meanwhile, Apple has denied any wrongdoing.