Apple agrees to pay 95 million dollars to settle lawsuit over Siri user privacy
Apple has reached a 95 million dollar settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit alleging privacy violations on devices with the "Hey Siri" feature. The case, known as *Lopez v. Apple*, was filed in 2019 and accused the Cupertino company of allowing Siri devices to record, store and even share users' conversations without prior consent.Allegations examined during the case
According to court documents, the claimants' central allegation centred on "accidental activations" of Siri. In these instances, devices such as iPhones, Apple Watches and others capable of listening for the "Hey Siri" command allegedly recorded private conversations and potentially shared that data for commercial purposes, particularly targeted advertising. The case specifically mentions examples where users supposedly discussed topics such as Pit Viper sunglasses, Air Jordan trainers and even medical procedures. After these conversations, ads coincidentally related to those topics appeared on the claimants' devices.Financial settlement: amount lower than other historic cases
Despite the significance of the issue, the agreed sum of 95 million dollars is considerably lower compared with other lawsuits brought against Apple. For reference, in the case related to iPhone 6 battery issues, the company agreed to pay 500 million dollars, compensating users with an average of 65 dollars per device. In this particular case, according to information published by *Reuters*, compensation for class action members could be around 20 dollars per Siri-enabled device. However, this amount will be calculated according to the final terms of the settlement, which have not yet been fully disclosed. It is worth noting that a substantial portion of the total sum, possibly 30 million dollars, will go towards covering the legal fees of the law firms that led the action.A decade of devices covered by the lawsuit
The settlement covers a ten-year period, including Siri devices sold between September 2014 and December 2024. However, and as is common practice in legal settlements of this kind, Apple has not admitted any wrongdoing or irregularity despite reaching the financial agreement.Impact on user privacy
This outcome once again raises debates about the impact of smart technology on individual privacy. Devices with virtual assistants are increasingly common in daily life, but concerns about the use of personal data persist. Apple, which often positions privacy as one of its core principles, has stated in the past that it uses advanced protection methods, such as on-device processing wherever possible. It remains to be seen whether this case will be enough to push the technology industry to develop even stronger standards for preserving user privacy. With this settlement, a chapter of accusations and privacy questions relating to Siri appears to have been closed. However, the debate over the balance between convenience and data protection in the digital age will continue to be a priority for both companies and consumers. Made with AI. Source: macworld.com link to the news story Reviewed by:Read also
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