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Apple has reached a $95 million settlement in response to a class action lawsuit brought by users whose private conversations were inadvertently captured by its Siri voice assistant and potentially overheard by human contractors.
The proposed settlement, reported by Bloomberg, would provide compensation of up to $20 per eligible device for up to five Siri-enabled devices owned by U.S.-based Apple product users. However, the settlement is still subject to court approval.
If approved, the settlement will apply to U.S.-based individuals who owned or purchased a Siri-enabled device—such as an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, iMac, HomePod, iPod touch, or Apple TV—between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024.
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To qualify for compensation, users must also swear under oath that they accidentally activated Siri during a private or confidential conversation. The payout amount per claimant will depend on the number of people who apply, meaning the maximum $20 payout may be reduced depending on the total number of eligible claims.
The lawsuit follows a 2019 report by The Guardian, which revealed that Apple’s third-party contractors, tasked with quality control for Siri, were exposed to sensitive recordings, including medical details, drug deals, and private moments between couples.
Although Siri is designed to be activated by a specific wake word, whistleblowers reported that accidental triggers were common, with even a sound as simple as a zipper potentially causing Siri to turn on.
Apple acknowledged that only a small portion of Siri recordings were shared with contractors and apologised publicly, stating that it would stop retaining audio recordings altogether.
The plaintiffs in the class action, which included one minor, claimed their devices recorded their conversations even when the wake word was not uttered.
Apple’s decision to settle comes as part of a broader issue within the tech industry, as companies like Google and Amazon have also faced criticism for allowing contractors to listen to recordings, including those captured accidentally. Google, like Apple, is facing similar lawsuits regarding privacy breaches with its voice assistants.
