Apple agrees to $95 mn deal to settle Siri eavesdropping suit

Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit accusing its digital assistant Siri of listening in on users' private conversations.

The proposed settlement detailed in a court filing accessed on Thursday (2 January) came with Apple holding firm that it did nothing wrong.

"Apple has at all times denied and continues to deny any and all alleged wrongdoing and liability," the tech titan said in the proposed settlement, which requires a judge's approval to be finalised.

A class action lawsuit filed five years ago accused Siri of listening to people's private conversations with iPhones, iPads, HomePods, or other Apple devices enhanced with the digital assistant.

The California-based tech giant has made user privacy a big part of its brand image and is one of the reasons it tightly controls its "ecosystem" of hardware and software.

According to the suit, Apple obtained talk captured by "unintended Siri activation" and perhaps even shared it with third parties.

A proposed settlement fund of $95 million would be used to pay no more than $20 per Siri device to US owners who had private conversations captured
without permission, the settlement indicated.

The agreement also requires Apple to confirm that it has deleted any overheard conversations and clearly state user choices regarding voice data gathered to improve Siri.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In 2023, Amazon agreed to pay more than $30 million to the US Federal Trade Commission to settle litigation accusing the company of violating privacy with its Ring doorbell cameras and Alexa digital assistant.