Apple has reached a settlement with a group that filed a class action lawsuit over improper listening to its voice assistant.
Pay not to go to trial. This is the strategy that Apple chose in the face of a class action brought by a group of American plaintiffs. The latter criticize the Cupertino company and more particularly its voice assistant, Siri, for having carried out abusive eavesdropping of conversations and having transmitted them to external third parties.
Accidental eavesdropping with real consequences
Siri activation relies on voice command « Dis, Siri ». However, sometimes this command is triggered by mistake, for example during group conversations where sound similarities can wake up the assistant. Activations that could have served third parties: several complainants report that these private conversations were recorded and used to generate targeted advertisements.
To go further
Tired of calling Siri, “Siri”? iOS 18 allows you to give it a new name
For example, two users reported receiving advertisements for sneakers or even restaurants after mentioning their names. Another said he received advertisements for surgical treatment after discussing it, privately, with his doctor.
To go further
Do our smartphones listen to our private conversations? This is the promise of this marketing agency
95 million dollars to settle the case
To put an end to this dispute, Apple agreed to pay $95 millionwhile denying any fault or bad practice, reports Reuters. The period covered by this class action extends from September 17, 2014, date of introduction of the “Hey, Siri” command, to December 31, 2024.
The members of the complainant group, estimated at several tens of millions, could receive up to $20 per compatible device Siri for up to five devices, whether iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, iMac, HomePod, iPod touch or an Apple TV.
