Apple settles and pays 95 million for Siri spying accusations

Apple has caught up an agreement to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the notoriously privacy-conscious company of using its Siri virtual assistant to spy on users of iPhones and other devices.

The proposed settlement, filed Tuesday in federal court in Oakland, California, would resolve a five-year lawsuit based on allegations that Apple has been secretly enabling Siri to record conversations across iPhones and other devices equipped with the virtual assistant for over a decade.

The alleged recordings allegedly occurred even when users did not attempt to activate the virtual assistant with the keywords “Hey, Siri”. Some of the recorded conversations would then be shared with advertisers in an attempt to sell their products to consumers believed to be more interested in specific goods and services, as stated in the lawsuit.

The allegations about a “spying” Siri contradict Apple’s ongoing commitment to protecting the privacy of its customers, a battle that CEO Tim Cook has often characterized as a fight to preserve “a fundamental human right.”

Apple acknowledges no wrongdoing in the settlement, which still needs to be approved by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White. Lawyers in the case have proposed setting a court hearing Feb. 14 in Oakland to review the terms.

If the agreement is approved, Tens of millions of consumers who owned iPhones and other Apple devices from September 17, 2014, through the end of last year could file compensation claims. Each consumer could receive up to $20 for each Siri-equipped device covered by the agreement, although the payment may be reduced or increased, depending on the volume of requests. According to estimates in court documents, only 3%-5% of eligible consumers are expected to apply. Eligible consumers will be able to claim compensation for up to five devices.