Apple Device Users Can File Claims in $95 Million Siri Spying Settlement
Apple earlier this year settled a years-long class-action lawsuit accusing Siri, its voice-activated AI assistant, of violating users’ privacy by eavesdropping on and recording private and confidential conversations and then sharing those conversations with third parties.
The tech giant in January agreed to a $95 million settlement, despite denying the allegations. Now, users of various Siri-enabled devices – including iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and MacBooks – can see if they will share in that settlement.
According to a statement on the settlement website, people who owned one of the devices listed – which also includes an iMac all-in-one computer, HomePod smart speaker, and Apple TV – between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024, are eligible to file for compensation by sending in a claim form.
They can claim for up to five Apple devices. The amount they’ll receive if the claim is approved will depend on the number of people who file legitimate claims, though there is a $20 per-device cap, according to the website. That means that a person filing a claim for five devices could get as much as $100.
How to File a Claim
Some users have received a postcard or email that included claim identification and confirmation codes. For those who didn’t receive either, they can go to the settlement website for instructions on filing a claim.
The deadline for filing a claim is July 2, with the final hearing for approving claims scheduled for August 1. It’s unclear when a settlement payment will arrive for those whose claims were approved. According to a FAQ page on the settlement’s site, there could be appeals if the settlement is appealed, which takes time and can hold up the payment.
The lawsuit was filed in 2021 by plaintiffs who claimed that Siri surreptitiously recorded some of their conversations even when they didn’t say the “Siri” prompt or otherwise alert the AI assistant to turn on. In several cases in the lawsuit, the plaintiffs found that they were being targeted with ads based on some of their conversations.
For example, two plaintiffs said they had mentioned such brand names as Olive Garden, Air Jordans, and Pit Viper sunglasses during conversations near their devices but without activating Siri.
This came despite Apple’s assurances in advertisements and elsewhere that Siri would only listen and record conversations when prompted with “Hey, Siri” or by pressing a particular button, they said.
Plaintiffs: Apple did it for the Money
They also accused the company, which preloads the Siri technology onto its devices, of knowingly letting this happen.
“Apple’s violations are deliberate and calculated to lead to increased revenues for Apple,” the lawsuit states. “Apple profited handsomely from this invasion of privacy by using the content of conversations which Apple obtains without consent or authorization to improve the functionality of Siri and thereby gain an advantage over Apple’s competitors. … In short, Apple intentionally, willfully, and knowingly violated consumers’ privacy rights, including within the sanctity of consumers’ own homes where they have the greatest expectation of privacy.”
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs point to 2019 and an article in The Guardian that said that Apple contractors hired to ensure quality control and improve the performance of Siri had regularly heard confidential information from device owners, including medical information and drug deals.
That same year, Apple suspended the contractors’ program and apologized for the handling of the recordings. However, “Apple denies all of the allegations made in the lawsuit and denies that Apple did anything improper or unlawful,” according to the settlement website.
