Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of turning its Siri virtual assistant into a snoop to eavesdrop on users of iPhones and other modern devices, betraying its longstanding commitment to personal privacy.
Proposed settlement filed in federal court earlier this week still needs to be approved by a judge, but here are a few things to know about the case and the privacy issues it raised.
WHAT WAS THE COMPLAINT ABOUT?
Law firm Wood, which specializes in class action lawsuits, filed the lawsuit against Apple in August 2019, shortly after The Guardian newspaper published an article alleging that Siri’s microphone was secretly turned on to record conversations that took place without the user’s knowledge. .
Apple released a software update in September 2014 that was supposed to activate the virtual assistant with just the trigger words “Hey, Siri,” but The Guardian story claims that Siri has listened to and recorded conversations at other times to help improve the company’s technology.
The story led to a lawsuit, which later raised allegations that Apple shared some of the conversations Siri secretly recorded with advertisers looking to connect with consumers more likely to buy their products and services.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE COVERED BY THE SETTLEMENT?
Tens of millions of US consumers who owned or purchased iPhones and other Siri-equipped devices between September 17, 2014 and the end of last year will be eligible to file claims.
HOW MUCH MONEY WILL EACH ATTRACTED CONSUMER GET?
It’s still too early to say for sure, but the settlement currently calls for a payout of up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, with each consumer capped at the maximum. Two factors can affect the final amount: the number of lawsuits and how much the settlement fund is reduced to cover legal fees and costs.
The claims administrator estimates that only 3% to 5% of eligible consumers will file claims. Attorneys in the case are currently seeking nearly $30 million in fees and costs, but that figure could be reduced by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, who is overseeing the case in Oakland, California. A court hearing has been proposed for February 14 to review the terms of the settlement.
DID APPLE BREAK ANY LAW?
If the allegations are true, Apple may have violated federal wiretapping laws and other laws designed to protect people’s privacy. But Apple has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing and claimed it would have been cleared of any wrongdoing had the case gone to trial. Consumer lawyers argued that Apple’s misconduct was so outrageous that the company could be liable for $1.5 billion in damages if it lost the case.
