Apple offers to settle Siri eavesdropping case: agrees to pay $95 million

The company has agreed to pay the fine but does not admit guilt

Apple is known to have faced accusations of collecting and analyzing recordings of Siri voice assistants without users' consent. The plaintiffs alleged that Siri was sometimes inadvertently activated and recorded private conversations, which were then analyzed and potentially passed on to third parties such as advertisers. After the case highlighted the importance of privacy and data protection, the company agreed to pay €95 million to the Commission. The company paid USD 95 million to settle the class action. Of the €95 million, the company has agreed to pay €95 million. Up to USD 29.6 million of the USD 955 million fund can cover lawyers' fees and other legal costs. 

However, while Apple agreed to the settlement, the company did not admit to any illegal activity^[1]. Nevertheless, it has implemented several changes since the start of the lawsuit, including the suspension of its quality control program, which included the review of Siri's recordings. 

The case covered the period from 17 September 2014 to 31 December 2024

The proposed settlement submitted to the US court would resolve a 5-year-old lawsuit revolving around allegations that Apple secretly activated Siri for over a decade to record conversations on iPhones and other devices equipped with the virtual assistant.

However, it is alleged that the recordings were made even when people were not trying to activate the virtual assistant with the trigger words "Hey, Siri". Some of the recorded conversations were then passed on to advertisers to market their products to consumers who were more likely to be interested in the goods and services^[2].

The accusations of Siri spying appeared to contradict Apple's long-standing commitment to protect the privacy of its customers. CEO Tim Cook is known to have often referred to customer security as a fight for "basic human rights".

The proposal still needs the approval of US District Judge Jeffrey White

The lawyers involved in the case proposed on 14 February. A hearing to review the conditions should be scheduled in an Oakland court on February 14. If the settlement is approved, tens of millions of consumers who owned iPhones and other Apple devices will be able to sue between 17 September 2014 and the end of last year. Each consumer could receive up to USD 20 (€19.5) for each Siri-equipped device covered by the settlement. However, the payments could be reduced or increased depending on the number of claims. According to estimates in court documents, only 3-5% of eligible consumers are expected to file claims. They will be able to claim compensation for a maximum of five devices.

However, the proposed Apple-related contract needs the approval of US District Judge Jeffrey White to become official^[3].

95 million. The agreement, which amounts to USD 955 million, represents only a fraction of the profits. Apple is known to have made a profit of USD 705 billion (EUR 685.5 billion) since September 2014. If, however, the company is found to have breached wiretapping and other privacy laws, the amount could be over USD 1.5 billion (EUR 1.46 billion).