Apple Inc. has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging its Siri voice assistant violated users’ privacy by unintentionally recording private conversations and sharing them with third parties, such as advertisers.
The preliminary settlement was filed on Tuesday in the federal court in Oakland, California, and awaits approval from U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White. Plaintiffs in the case claimed that Siri routinely recorded conversations without users’ consent when triggered unintentionally by “hot words” like “Hey, Siri.”
Allegations and Examples
Users reported that these unauthorized recordings led to targeted ads. For instance, two plaintiffs said discussions about Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden resulted in related advertisements. Another claimed to have received ads for a surgical treatment after discussing it privately with a doctor.
The class-action period covers Siri-enabled devices purchased between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024, beginning with the rollout of the “Hey, Siri” feature.
Settlement Details
Tens of millions of users are eligible for compensation, with potential payouts of up to $20 per device, including iPhones and Apple Watches. Apple has denied any wrongdoing but agreed to the settlement to resolve the claims.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers may request up to $28.5 million in legal fees and $1.1 million for expenses from the settlement fund.
Apple has not yet commented on the settlement.
Context and Broader Implications
The $95 million settlement represents about nine hours of profit for Apple, which reported a net income of $93.74 billion in its most recent fiscal year.
This lawsuit follows a trend of scrutiny over voice-activated assistants and user privacy. A similar case is pending against Google for its Voice Assistant, filed in the same judicial district as the Apple case. Both lawsuits are being handled by the same legal teams.
The case against Apple is Lopez et al. v. Apple Inc., U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 19-04577.