Apple has settled a class action lawsuit in which tens of millions of users can expect a slice of the payout.
On Tuesday, the iPhone maker agreed to pay $95 million to settle a 2019 lawsuit claiming that Siri violated the privacy of Apple users by recording their conversations, as reported by Reuters.
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Known as Lopez v. Apple, Inc., the class action lawsuit was filed by three plaintiffs who alleged that Apple programmed Siri to intercept conversations even when no hot word, such as “Hey Siri,” was spoken. Further, the plaintiffs claimed that Apple violated their privacy by sharing recordings of the conversations with third-party contractors.
In settling the suit, Apple has denied any wrongdoing on its part. Before the plaintiffs and Apple users can receive their cut of the payout, the settlement must be approved by US District Judge Jeffrey White in the Oakland, Calif. federal court.
How much would the average Apple user stand to collect? That may depend on how many Apple devices you own. Though each individual payout would reach only as high as $20, that’s the amount per Siri-enabled device, according to Reuters. That could mean that the more devices in your household, the higher your overall payout.
The class action period runs from Sept. 17, 2014, to Dec. 31, 2024, encompassing more than 10 years of Siri use. The 2014 date marks Apple’s introduction of the phrase “Hey Siri” to trigger the voice assistant.
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For a company that earned $93.74 billion in its latest fiscal year, $95 million represents only about nine hours of profit for Apple, Reuters explained. Although the payout won’t hurt Apple’s bottom line, there could be some damage to the company’s reputation.
Compared with the likes of Microsoft, Google, and other major tech players, Apple has always boasted about its commitment to privacy. Assuming the allegations in the lawsuit are true, the company doesn’t seem shy about bending or breaking its promises when it comes to protecting the privacy of its users.
People have expressed concerns about voice assistants snooping on their conversations and even sharing those conversations with third parties without consent. Even though Apple denied any such misdeeds, the settlement implies that the company didn’t want to fight the allegations, which puts it in a bad light.
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To back up their claims, two of the plaintiffs said that mentioning Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden restaurants prompted ads for both products. The third plaintiff said he received ads for a surgical treatment after discussing it privately with his doctor.
Apple isn’t the only large tech company in the crosshairs of such a lawsuit. A similar class action suit filed by users of Google’s voice assistant has charged the search giant with privacy violations, Reuters added. Being heard in a San Jose, Calif., federal court, the law firms representing the plaintiffs are the same ones who stand to gain in the Apple case.
