Apple to pay $95M to settle lawsuit accusing Siri of eavesdropping

Apple has agreed to a $95 million settlement in response to a lawsuit alleging that the company used its virtual assistant Siri to secretly record conversations from iPhone and other devices. The lawsuit, which has been ongoing for five years, claims that Apple activated Siri without users’ knowledge, recording conversations over a span of more than a decade, even when users didn’t prompt the assistant with the trigger words "Hey, Siri."

According to the lawsuit, some of the recorded conversations were shared with advertisers in an effort to target consumers with personalized ads based on their interests. These accusations of privacy violations contrast with Apple’s long-standing commitment to safeguarding user privacy, which CEO Tim Cook has often framed as a defense of "a fundamental human right."

Apple has not admitted to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, which is still pending approval from U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White. A court hearing to review the terms of the settlement has been proposed for February 14 in Oakland, California.

If the settlement is approved, millions of consumers who owned iPhones and other Apple devices with Siri between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024, could file claims for compensation. Consumers could receive up to $20 per device, although the exact amount may vary depending on the number of claims submitted. Estimates suggest that only 3-5% of eligible consumers will file claims. Consumers will be limited to seeking compensation for a maximum of five devices.

This settlement is a small fraction of the $705 billion in profits Apple has earned since September 2014 and is significantly lower than the estimated $1.5 billion Apple could have been required to pay if the case had gone to trial and resulted in a finding of violations of wiretapping and privacy laws. The lawyers representing the consumers may request up to $29.6 million from the settlement fund for their fees and expenses.