Apple Settles Siri Privacy Lawsuit for $95 Million
In a significant response to allegations concerning its virtual assistant, Apple confirmed today that it has never utilized any data from Siri for marketing or sold such information to third-party entities.
The Lawsuit Background
A recent lawsuit, which Apple has opted to settle, accused the company of sharing accidental conversations captured by Siri with external marketing firms. Plaintiffs claimed they received targeted advertisements for brands like Air Jordans and Olive Garden after discussing these products privately.
Apple’s Assurance on User Privacy
The tech giant refuted these claims firmly, stating that this practice contradicts how Siri operates. Information gathered through Siri is anonymized and is not attributable to any single user. Furthermore, while Apple does leverage anonymized data to enhance the functionality of its personal assistant, users must actively opt-in for their audio recordings to be utilized—a setting that is disabled by default.
Official Statement from Apple
Echoing its commitment to privacy since inception, an official statement from Apple reads: “Siri was designed with user confidentiality as a priority. We have never created marketing profiles using Siri data nor sold any information related thereto. This settlement allows us to move past concerns about previous third-party audits already addressed in 2019.” The company maintains that it continuously invests in technologies aimed at further safeguarding user privacy regarding Siri.
Details of the Settlement
This lawsuit traces back to 2019 when reports surfaced about contractors hearing private discussions due to unintentional activations of Siri. At that time, the company’s privacy policies had not clearly outlined human oversight aspects for monitoring voice recordings—raising worries among some employees unaware if users knew their unintended speech could be accessed.
The lawsuit alleged customers were being recorded without their consent and suggested they might have reconsidered purchasing iPhones had they been aware of this feature’s implications. Although an initial motion was dismissed due to lack of evidence linking recorded conversations directly back to individuals, plaintiffs later refiled claims asserting that collected data served targeted advertising efforts.
A Resolution Avoiding Prolonged Litigation
To evade lengthy legal proceedings while denying any wrongdoing or liability—especially against class action categorization—Apple settled for $95 million. The court has given preliminary approval for this agreement which recognizes all current and former owners or purchasers of devices integrated with Siri in the U.S., whose private communications may have been inadvertently acquired by Apple between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024 as eligible members potentially receiving up to $20 each as compensation.
Next Steps for Class Members
An active settlement website will be established where eligible participants will receive detailed notifications regarding payment processes.
