Apple agreed to pay $95 million in cash to settle a proposed class action lawsuit alleging that its voice-activated assistant Siri violated users’ privacy.
A preliminary settlement was filed Tuesday night in federal court in Oakland, California, and requires approval by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White.
Owners of the mobile devices complained that Apple routinely recorded their private conversations after they inadvertently activated Siri and disclosed these conversations to third parties such as advertisers.
Voice assistants typically respond when people use “hot words” like “Hey, Siri.”
Two plaintiffs said their mentions of Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden restaurants triggered advertising for those products. Another said he received ads for a brand-name surgical treatment after discussing it, he thought privately, with his doctor.
The class period runs from September 17, 2014 to December 31, 2024. It began when Siri incorporated the “Hey Siri” feature that allegedly led to the unauthorized recordings.
Class members, estimated to be in the tens of millions, could receive up to $20 for Siri-enabled devices such as iPhones and Apple Watches.
Apple denied wrongdoing by agreeing to settle.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company and its lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to similar requests. They can seek up to $28.5 million in fees, plus $1.1 million in expenses, from the settlement fund.
The $95 million is about nine hours of profit for Apple, whose net income was $93.74 billion in its last fiscal year.
A similar lawsuit on behalf of Google Voice Assistant users is pending in federal court in San Jose, California, in the same district as the Oakland court. The plaintiffs are represented by the same law firms as in the Apple case.
The case is Lopez et al v. Apple Inc., US District Court, Northern District of California, No. 19-04577.
#Apple #settle #Siri #privacy #lawsuit #million #complaints #unwanted #ads #related #private #conversations
Image Source : nypost.com