Apple is preparing to pay $95 million to settle a five-year-old lawsuit that alleges the iPhone maker infringed on the privacy of Siri users.
The lawsuit, which was filed in August of 2019, alleges that the tech giant illegally recorded the private conversations of the users of its digital assistant without their consent.
“The Settlement, if approved, will resolve Plaintiffs’ allegations that Siri Device purchasers’ confidential or private communications were obtained by Apple and/or were shared with third parties without their consent as a result of an unintended Siri activation.”
Apple will also be required to confirm that it has “permanently deleted individual Siri audio recordings collected by Apple prior to October 2019” within six months of the settlement getting approved.
Additionally, the settlement if approved will require the iPhone maker to publish information explaining to users how to opt in to a feature known as ‘Improve Siri’ that allows Apple to review audio samples of the digital assistant’s interactions for the purposes of refining and advancing Siri. Apple will also be required to disclose the kind of data it collects from the Improve Siri feature for those opting in.
In the lawsuit, the lead plaintiffs Fumiko Lopez and A.L. (who was a minor at the time of filing the lawsuit) allege that Apple illegally spied on them while using Siri on the iPhone XR and iPhone 6, respectively.
“…Apple and these Siri Devices unlawfully recorded Plaintiffs Lopez and A.L. without their consent on multiple occasions, including when they failed to utter a wake phrase.
At no point did Plaintiffs consent to these unlawful recordings. Apple does not disclose that Siri Devices record conversations that are not preceded by a wake phrase or gesture. Plaintiffs Lopez and A.L., therefore, did not agree to be recorded by their Siri Devices, respectively. Moreover, Apple could not have obtained consent from Plaintiff A.L., a minor without an Apple account.”
A court hearing on February 14th has been proposed to review the settlement terms.
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