Apple Siri Lawsuit Settlement Amounts to $95M: See If You Qualify

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Have you ever felt like your Apple device was listening to you? If so, you may qualify for settlement money in a class-action lawsuit in which Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to users who say the company’s Siri assistant recorded and shared their conversations without permission.

The proposed settlement, as reported by USA TODAYwas filed Tuesday in federal court in Oakland, California. The settlement is pending approval by a federal judge. If approved, it will end a five-year legal battle that began after one 2019 report from The Guardian found that Apple suppliers regularly hear confidential information while “rating” the Siri voice assistant.

Apple told The Guardian in a statement in 2019 that a small portion of Siri requests are used to “improve Siri and dictation”, but that the analyzed data is not linked to the user’s Apple ID and that all Siri responses are analyzed in a safe manner according to Apple’s Privacy Policy. However, a whistleblower expressed concern over the company’s lack of disclosure, telling The Guardian that accidental Siri activations are common and often pick up sensitive personal information.

The Siri assistantwhich is now built into all Apple devices, is designed to trigger at the sound of simple phrases, including “Siri” or “Hey Siri.”

“The sound of a zipper is often heard by Siri as a trigger,” the whistleblower told The Guardian in 2019.

In the class action, Apple device users complained that Siri could be accidentally activated, allowing it to record conversations that users thought were private and reveal the conversations to third parties such as advertisers, USA TODAY reported. Plaintiffs said mentions of certain brands triggered ads for those products. One said they got ads for a surgical treatment after discussing the treatment with their doctor, a conversation they thought was private.

While Apple has accepted the payout, the company denied wrongdoing.

How to qualify for Apple settlement money

The class period runs from 17 September 2014 to 31 December 2024, This was reported by Reutersbeginning when the “Hey Siri” feature was incorporated into Apple devices.

Customers who purchased Siri-enabled devices between those dates may qualify for a share of the payout, which can be up to $20 per unit. Devices include iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and more.

According to USA TODAY, plaintiffs must also confirm under oath that they experienced Siri listening in on a “conversation intended to be private” without being purposefully activated. Those who take the settlement money lose their right to sue Apple for similar claims.