Apple users could soon be eligible for a cash payout after the iPhone maker agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action case including alleged Siri eavesdropping.
In the latest Siri eavesdropping case, two plaintiffs alleged that they mentioned Air Jordan shoes and their iPhones showed adverts for the product.
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And the good news is, Apple offers plenty of privacy settings to prevent Siri eavesdropping on your conversations.
Following the iPhone manufacturer’s $95 million settlement of a class action lawsuit involving alleged Siri eavesdropping, Apple users may soon be eligible for a cash payout.
A draft settlement was submitted in December. 13, 2024 in Oakland, California, is currently pending congressional approval. S. according to Reuters, the district judge.
According to the lawsuit, Apple was violating people’s privacy by recording Siri conversations when the voice assistant was inadvertently turned on and disclosing this data to advertisers. It all started in 2019 when U. K. Apple hired contractors to listen to Siri recordings of private conversations, such as doctor’s appointments, sex, and drug deals, according to a report in the newspaper The Guardian.
At the time, Apple was in hot water because, while acknowledging that Siri recordings could be listened to, the company did not specifically mention that the voice assistant was human-oversight. The recent lawsuit against Siri claims that Apple failed to notify users that they were routinely being recorded without their consent.
Two plaintiffs claimed in the most recent Siri eavesdropping case that when they mentioned Air Jordan shoes, their iPhones displayed advertisements for the brand. Another said he spoke with his doctor about a particular surgical procedure and then started receiving medical advertisements.
What should you do to protect your privacy when using Apple’s voice assistant, and who might be eligible for a payout if a district judge approves the settlement regarding Siri eavesdropping?
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For whom might the Siri Eavesdropping Payout be applicable?
It’s probable that Siri users will be able to file a claim now that the case has been resolved and given preliminary approval. You have to be based in the United States to qualify. S. between September and the owner of an Apple device. Dec. 17, 2014, and Dec. 31, 2024. Within 45 days, a website will be established to verify this, and you will have until May 15, 2025, to submit your claim.
What Is Apple Paying Siri Users?
The good news is that you can file a claim for up to five devices, or a total of $100, even though Apple will only pay $20 to Siri users. The quantity of claims that are filed and accepted may determine the settlement amount.
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Should You Stop Using Siri After Allegations of Eavesdropping?
In the Siri eavesdropping case, Apple has not acknowledged any wrongdoing, and there is no hard evidence that the iPhone manufacturer gave recordings to advertisers. According to Apple, data is anonymized and not linked to any specific user and is only gathered to enhance Siri.
According to the filing, Apple “continues to deny any and all alleged wrongdoing and liability, specifically denies each of the Plaintiffs’ contentions and claims, and continues to deny that the Plaintiffs’ claims and allegations would be suitable for class action status.”.
Simply put, the iPhone manufacturer is resolving the Siri case to save money on expensive legal fees.
I’ve contacted Apple for more information, and I’ll update this post if I hear back from the company.
Fortunately, there are numerous privacy settings available on Apple that will stop Siri from listening in on your conversations. First off, after the initial allegations, the voice assistant’s data collection for analytics is now opt-in only. This change was made in 2019.
