Apple users who fell victim to the alleged unauthorized “snooping” by Siri are eligible to get a payout from a from a class-action lawsuit.
Apple Siri settlement
The backstory:
Earlier this year, Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle a 2019 lawsuit accusing the tech company of deploying its virtual assistant Siri to eavesdrop on people using its iPhone and other devices.
Dig deeper:
The alleged recordings occurred even when people hadn’t activated the virtual assistant with the trigger words, “Hey, Siri.” Some of the recorded conversations were then shared with advertisers in an attempt to sell their products to consumers more likely to be interested in the goods and services, the lawsuit asserted.
What they’re saying:
Apple adamantly denied any wrongdoing and maintains that it would have been cleared of any misconduct had the case gone to trial.
In an earlier statement, Apple said, “Siri has been engineered to protect user privacy from the beginning,” and that “Siri data has never been used to build marketing profiles and it has never been sold to anyone for any purpose.”
Big picture view:
Although Apple hasn’t explained the reasons for making the settlement, major companies often decide it makes more sense to resolve class-action cases rather than to continue to run up legal costs and risk the chance of potentially bad publicity.
Class-action lawsuit
Who is involved:
You are eligible to file a claim if:
- You owned or purchased a Siri-enabled device and experienced an unintended Siri activation during a confidential or private communication between Sept. 17, 2014 and Dec. 31, 2024.
- You reside in the United States or its territories.
Dig deeper:
Siri-enabled devices include iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, iMac, HomePod, iPod touch or Apple TV.
Settlement benefits
By the numbers:
Apple will pay $95 million into a settlement fund, and those who have filed a valid claim form will receive up to $20 per Siri device.
Claims can be submitted for up to five Siri devices per person – and are submitted under oath that Siri was unintentionally activated.
The payout amount will depend on the total number of valid claims.
How to get a payment:
In order to receive a payment, you must complete and submit a valid claim form by July 2, 2025.
You can elect to get a physical check, electronic check or direct deposit.
Timeline:
The settlement will be reviewed in court on August 1, 2025, and, depending on an appeal process, payments would be processed after that.
Fill out a claim
You can get more information on the class-action lawsuit and fill out a claim for your Siri device online here.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from the Lopez v. Apple Inc. class-action lawsuit’s settlement page online. Background information about the lawsuit was taken from The Associated Press and previous FOX Television Stations reportings. This story was reported from Detroit.
