Apple to pay $95 million to settle Siri's unauthorized call recording case, iPhone users in the U.S. could receive up to $100 in compensation if they experience “accidental activation of the assistant,” Business Insider reports.
Although Apple boasts that it cares deeply about user privacy, it turned out that users could be eavesdropped on by Siri, its virtual voice assistant. This lasted almost a decade and was revealed thanks to whistleblowers who described recordings of private content, including medical data, intimate conversations, and details of drug transactions.
Up to $100 in compensation
The injured Americans filed a class action lawsuit in this case and a federal court in California accepted a settlement worth $ 95 million. The settlement covers all residents of the United States who used any device supporting Apple's voice assistant between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024. Each of them can report up to five devices and receive up to $ 20 per device, or a maximum of $ 100. However, it is necessary to swear that they experienced unintentional activation of Siri during a private conversation.
Apple does not admit guilt, but will pay compensation
From the beginning of the dispute, the company assured that it did not sell the recordings to advertisers and that they were used only to improve the quality of the service. However, it eventually agreed to a settlement because it wanted to end the case as soon as possible. Especially since the penalty of $95 million is not severe for it. The precedent here is the fact that Apple agrees to pay, denying its guilt in order to avoid an open trial.
KW
