Apple has agreed to a $95 million settlement to compensate users whose conversations were unintentionally captured by its Siri voice assistant and potentially overheard by human workers. The settlement could provide US-based Apple product owners with up to $20 per device for up to five Siri-enabled devices, though it still needs judicial approval.
If approved, the settlement will apply to US residents who owned or purchased a Siri-enabled device, such as an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, iMac, HomePod, iPod touch, or Apple TV, between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024. To be eligible, users must also swear under oath that they accidentally triggered Siri during a private or confidential conversation. Payouts will vary depending on the number of claims filed, meaning individuals could receive less than the $20 maximum.
The class action suit stems from a 2019 report by The Guardian, which claimed that Apple’s third-party contractors often overheard sensitive information, including medical details, drug deals, and intimate recordings, while reviewing Siri recordings. Siri, which is meant to activate through a specific wake word, was allegedly triggered by incidental sounds, such as the noise of a zipper. Apple responded by saying only a small portion of Siri recordings were shared with contractors, later apologizing and announcing that it would no longer retain audio recordings.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which included one minor, argued that their iPhones had recorded private conversations multiple times, even without the wake word being spoken.
Apple isn’t the only company facing accusations of allowing contractors to listen to confidential recordings. Google and Amazon have also been criticized for similar practices, with a pending lawsuit against Google on the same grounds.
