Apple has agreed to make a $95 million cash settlement over a class action lawsuit that alleges its voice activation assistant Siri violated user privacy. The tech giant has denied wrongdoing in the case.
Concern around data collection and voice activation assistants, installed on a plethora of modern-day smartphones, computers, and speakers, has been ongoing for some time. The lawsuit alleges that "confidential or private communications were obtained by Apple and/or were shared with third parties without their consent as a result of an unintended Siri activation."
The allegations contradict Apple's dedication to user privacy, a principle that company CEO Tim Cook has previously advocated as "a fundamental human right."
Users raised concerns that Apple frequently recorded their private conversations upon unintentionally activating Siri and then shared these recordings with third parties, including advertisers. The alleged recordings occurred even when users did not activate the virtual assistant with its trigger words "Hey, Siri."
A preliminary settlement was filed on Tuesday in an Oakland, California federal court, and requires approval by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White. Apple has denied any wrongdoing.
If the settlement is approved, tens of millions of users of iPhones or other Apple devices between September 17, 2014, and the end of 2024 may be eligible to file claims.
The Associated Press reported that each claimant could receive up to a cap of $20 per Siri-enabled device that is included in the settlement, which includes iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, MacBooks, iMacs, HomePods, iPod touch devices, and Apple TV.
The final payment amount may vary based on the total number of claims submitted. According to estimates in court documents, only three to five percent of eligible Apple customers are expected to file claims. There is also a limit on seeking compensation, up to a maximum of five devices.
According to a report by CNN, $95 million represents around nine hours of profit for Apple, which had a net income of $93.74 billion in its latest fiscal year. Since September 2014, Apple has made $705 billion in profits, according to the AP.
Newsweek has contacted Apple and plaintiff attorneys via email for comment outside of regular working hours.
Lawyers in the case have proposed scheduling a February 14 court hearing to review the terms.
A comparable lawsuit on behalf of users of Google's Voice Assistant is also currently pending in California. The plaintiffs are represented by the same law firms involved in the Apple case.