Apple to Pay $95 Million in Siri Lawsuit

Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the privacy-minded business of deploying its virtual assistant Siri to spy on individuals using its iPhone and other fashionable devices.

A five-year-old lawsuit centered on claims that Apple secretly turned on Siri to record conversations through iPhones and other devices with the virtual assistant for over ten years would be settled by the proposed settlement, which was filed on tuesday in a federal court in Oakland, California.

Even when users did not try to use the trigger words, “Hey, Siri,” to activate the virtual assistant, the purported recordings allegedly took place.

Some of the recorded discussions were then shared with advertisers in an attempt to pitch their wares to consumers more likely to be interested in the goods and services, the lawsuit asserted.

The claims of a spying Siri ran counter to Apple’s longstanding pledge to safeguard consumer privacy, which CEO Tim Cook has frequently presented as an effort to uphold “a fundamental human right.”

In the deal, which still needs to be approved by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, Apple is not admitting any wrongdoing.

The case’s attorneys have suggested holding a court hearing in Oakland on February 14 to go over the terms.

Tens of millions of customers who purchased iPhones and other Apple products between September 17, 2014, and the end of last year may submit claims if the settlement is accepted.

Up to $20 could be given to each customer for each Siri-enabled device covered by the settlement; however, the amount paid may be lowered or raised based on the number of claims.

Court filings anticipate that only 3 to 5 percent of eligible consumers will file claims.

The number of devices on which eligible consumers may seek compensation will be restricted to five.

A portion of the $705 billion in revenues that Apple has kept since September 2014 is represented by the settlement.

It’s also a small portion of the approximately $1.5 billion that the consumer lawyers had calculated Apple may have to pay if the firm had been found to have violated privacy laws and eavesdropping, had the case proceeded to trial.

According to court filings, the lawsuit’s attorneys may request up to $29.6 million from the settlement money to pay for their fees and other costs.

Manomsi Mallum/ APnews