Written by Jonathan Stemple
(Reuters) – Apple Inc has agreed to pay $95 million in cash to settle a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging that its voice-activated assistant Siri violates users' privacy.
The preliminary settlement was filed Tuesday evening in federal court in Oakland, California, and requires approval by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White.
Mobile device owners have complained that Apple routinely records their private conversations after they inadvertently activate Siri, and discloses these conversations to third parties such as advertisers.
Voice assistants typically react when people use “trigger words” like “Hey, Siri.”
Two of the plaintiffs said their mentions of Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden restaurants led to ads for those products. Another said he got ads for a brand-name surgical treatment after discussing it with his doctor, and also thought in private.
The Class Period runs from September 17, 2014 to December 31, 2024. It began when Siri integrated the “Hey, Siri” feature that allegedly led to the unauthorized recordings.
Class members, estimated to number in the tens of millions, may receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, such as iPhones and Apple Watches.
Apple denied any wrongdoing in agreeing to the settlement.
The Cupertino, California-based company and its lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
Plaintiffs' lawyers did not immediately respond to similar requests. They may seek up to $28.5 million in fees, plus $1.1 million for expenses, from the settlement fund.
The $95 million represents about nine hours of profit for Apple, which had net income of $93.74 billion in its most recent fiscal year.
A similar lawsuit on behalf of users of Google's (NASDAQ:) voice assistant is pending in California's San Jose federal court, in the same district as the Oakland court. The plaintiffs are represented by the same law firms as in the Apple case.
The case is Lopez et al. v. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:), U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 19-04577.
