Apple agrees to $95 million settlement in Siri privacy class-action case

Apple has agreed to a nearly $95 million settlement over user privacy concerns with its virtual assistant Siri, as part of a preliminary agreement with affected customers.

Apple, one of the world's most valuable companies, agreed to make a payment to resolve a class-action lawsuit alleging that its Siri virtual assistant can accidentally record conversations without permission. According to the plaintiffs, the tech giant then infringed on its users' privacy by sending those recordings to outside parties.

Apple declined to provide a comment on the matter, although it stated in the settlement agreement filed Tuesday that "Apple continues to deny all allegations of wrongdoing."

The original Siri app, which first emerged as a standalone virtual assistant, became a prominent feature of the iPhone when Apple integrated it into the iPhone 4S in 2011. In order to make the tool more skilled and quicker, Apple introduced a feature called “Hey Siri” in 2014 which let users activate the assistant by simply saying its wake words rather than pressing a button.

in the process.

Preliminary terms of a settlement between Apple and the court still need to be officially approved, but record deletion and adding transparency to Siri and its "Improve Siri" opt-in process are agreed conditions.

If you've ever caught Siri eavesdropping when it's not supposed to be, you can submit a claim, even if the settlement official doesn't get in touch with you.

To be eligible for a portion of the settlement payout, an Apple customer must have purchased or have owned a device with Siri capabilities, such as an iPhone, iPad, HomePod, MacBook computer, Apple Watch, or Apple TV, at some point between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024.

Claimants must confirm, under oath, that they have experienced Siri suddenly activating itself to listen when not explicitly activated, and that this happened during a "private conversation" mode attempt. However, like with most settlements, individuals give up their right to sue Apple for related claims by accepting the settlement.

If U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White approves the settlement agreement, individuals will be able to file claims for accidental recordings on up to five Siri-enabled devices, with a maximum payment per device being $20.