Subj : Siri and private conversa
To   : All
From : Mike Powell
Date : Fri Jan 03 2025 10:58:00

Apple to pay $95 million after Siri unintentionally recorded private convos

Date:
Fri, 03 Jan 2025 11:49:52 +0000

Description:
Sum is expected to cover tens of millions of Apple users affected over a
ten-year period.

FULL STORY

Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit after 
its device owners claimed Siri disclosed private conversations to 
advertisers. 

Per Reuters , the case in the Oakland, California federal court, Lopez et al
v. Apple Inc, revolves around unintentional activation of Siri during phone
calls, resulting in Apple disclosing snippets of conversation to advertisers. 

Despite voice assistants usually only activating with a wake word or phrase
(think Alexa or, here, Hey, Siri), plaintiffs in the lawsuit claimed they had
been served advertisements for brand name products in what they believed were
confidential conversations.

Siri privacy lawsuit 

The class action period ranges from September 17, 2014, the introduction of
the Hey, Siri wake phrase, through to December 31, 2024. Tens of millions of
people could receive up to $20 per Siri-equipped device, including iPhones 
and Apple Watches. 

Apple was tight-lipped when approached for comment on the settlement, though
it has explicitly denied wrongdoing in court. 

Reuters notes $95 million is just nine hours worth of profit for Apple, 
making this latest class action against a big tech company yet another 
example of such actions being factored in as a business cost. 

Elsewhere, a case against Google in relation to its own Voice Assistant is
ongoing in the San Jose, California Federal Court, and its hard to imagine
that the outcome wont be similarly inconsequential.

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/apple-to-pay-usd95-million-after-siri-unintentio
nally-recorded-private-convos

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