Apple has agreed to a $95 million (R1.8 billion) settlement to resolve a five-year-old lawsuit accusing the company of using its virtual assistant, Siri, to record users’ conversations without their consent.
Apple admits Siri has been eavesdropping on users
The case, filed in an Oakland, California, federal court, alleged that Siri surreptitiously activated and recorded conversations, even when users did not trigger it with the phrase “Hey Siri.”
According to reports, court documents further reveal that some of these recordings were shared with advertisers to better target consumers with products and services.
These revelations are a stark contradiction to Apple’s long-standing assertion of being a privacy-first company, a message frequently championed by CEO Tim Cook.
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The settlement applies to users of Siri-equipped devices, including iPhones, from 7 September 2014, through December 2023.
The threat of future lawsuits explained
Consumers may file claims to receive compensation of up to $20 per device, although the amount could vary depending on the volume of claims.
The R1.8 billion settlement is a mere fraction of the R13.6 trillion ($705 billion) Apple has earned in profits since 2014.
However, it opens the door for further legal action against the tech giant and other companies employing artificial intelligence and voice assistants.
Privacy advocates have noted that this lawsuit could pave the way for a wave of similar legal challenges, as public awareness of AI-driven privacy infringements grows.
