Apple settles $95 million lawsuit over Siri eavesdropping and privacy violation allegations

Apple’s $95M settlement addresses allegations of Siri recording conversations without user consent.

Apple has agreed to a $95 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit accusing the company of using its Siri virtual assistant to eavesdrop on users of iPhones and other popular devices.  

The proposed settlement, submitted Tuesday in a federal court in Oakland, California, aims to settle a five-year-old case alleging that Apple covertly activated Siri to record conversations through its devices for over a decade.  

The lawsuit claims the recordings happened even when users did not intentionally activate Siri with the command “Hey, Siri.” It further alleges that some of these conversations were shared with advertisers to target consumers with products and services they might find appealing.  

These accusations stand in stark contrast to Apple’s longstanding emphasis on user privacy, a principle often championed by CEO Tim Cook as “a fundamental human right.”  

Apple has not admitted to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, which still requires approval from U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White. A hearing to review the terms of the settlement is tentatively set for February 14 in Oakland.  

If approved, the settlement will allow tens of millions of users who owned Siri-enabled Apple devices between September 17, 2014, and the end of last year to file claims. Consumers could receive up to $20 per eligible device, though the actual amount may vary depending on the number of claims submitted. Court documents estimate only 3% to 5% of eligible consumers are likely to file claims.  

Consumers will be able to seek compensation for a maximum of five devices under the settlement.  

The settlement amount is a tiny fraction of the $705 billion in profits Apple has earned since September 2014. It’s also much less than the approximately $1.5 billion the lawsuit estimated Apple could have been liable for if found guilty of violating wiretapping and privacy laws during a trial.  

The attorneys representing consumers in the case may request up to $29.6 million from the settlement fund to cover legal fees and other related expenses, according to court filings.