Apple agreed to a settlement in which the technology firm will pay $95 million to resolve claims that its voice assistant Siri eavesdropped on user conversations.
The proposed class action lawsuit, for which a settlement was reached on Dec. 31, contended that Apple shared some of the conversations overheard by Siri with advertisers, according to the Associated Press.
The settlement is still pending approval from a federal judge, but the $95 million is expected to be distributed in $20 increments for each Siri-enabled Apple device owned or purchased between Sept. 17, 2014 and the end of last year.
That payout is capped at $100 per household, according to Emerge.
The lawsuit, filed by the Wood Law Firm, was submitted in 2019 after a report from The Guardian alleged that the microphones on Apple devices are sometimes activated to record conversations without knowledge from consumers.
The British news outlet asserted that contractors for Apple regularly hear drug deals, confidential health information, and even audio of couples having sex.
A handful of Siri recordings are provided to contractors around the world for evaluation with respect to quality.
One whistleblower informed the outlet that Siri can be activated by users accidentally uttering “Hey Siri,” but even “the sound of a zip” can be taken as a trigger.
For an Apple Watch, the whistleblower asserted, Siri can be unintentionally activated when the device is raised and then hears speech.
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Apple told The Guardian in a statement at the time that “a small portion of Siri requests are analysed to improve Siri and dictation.”
“User requests are not associated with the user’s Apple ID,” the company added.
“Siri responses are analysed in secure facilities, and all reviewers are under the obligation to adhere to Apple’s strict confidentiality requirements.”
As currently conceived, users must submit a claim by May 15, 2025, and verify under oath that Siri was activated without permission, per Emerge.
The website for making the claims has not yet been created.
Only 3 to 5 percent of Apple consumers eligible for a payout are expected to file a claim, according to the Associated Press.
The final payout amount may be impacted by the number of claims received, as well as the amount of the $95 million ultimately used to pay attorneys who filed the lawsuit.
That proposed attorney fee is currently $30 million. A hearing proposed for Feb. 14 will examine the settlement terms.
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