In brief
The settlement stems from claims that Apple’s virtual assistant recorded users without consent, prompting a class action lawsuit.
Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that its virtual assistant, Siri, was eavesdropping on users without consent. The tech giant faced accusations of recording conversations and sharing them with advertisers, though Apple has denied any wrongdoing. The preliminary settlement claims that the company did not record or share conversations without consent, insisting all Siri audio recordings prior to October 2019 have been permanently deleted. Claimants argue that Siri activated unintentionally and recorded users without the activation phrase "Hey, Siri." The lawsuit enables up to $20 for each affected Siri-enabled device owned from 2014 to 2019, bringing potential payouts to individual claimants. By settling, Apple avoids a risky court case that could result in a larger payout. The California-based company has faced several class action lawsuits recently, including one regarding iPhone performance and another over its iCloud service.
