Apple Settles Siri Privacy Lawsuit with $95 Million Payout

Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging its Siri voice assistant violated users' privacy. The lawsuit accused Apple of recording private conversations unintentionally activated by the "Hey Siri" feature and sharing those recordings with third parties, such as advertisers.

The plaintiffs claimed Siri inadvertently recorded sensitive conversations, leading to targeted ads. For instance, two plaintiffs reported seeing ads for Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden after mentioning them in private discussions. Another plaintiff alleged receiving ads for a specific surgical treatment after discussing it privately with their doctor.

The settlement covers eligible claims for Apple device users from September 17, 2014, to December 31, 2024. Users involved in the lawsuit could receive up to $20 per device, with nearly 10 million devices implicated. The class-action suit centered on the integration of the Hey Siri feature, which allegedly triggered unauthorized recordings.

The preliminary settlement agreement was filed in a federal court in Oakland, California, on Tuesday evening. It awaits approval from U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White.