Apple Offers $95M to Settle Siri Privacy Lawsuit

Source: Bjanka Kadic via Alamy Stock Photo

NEWS BRIEF

Apple has agreed to pay a $95 million cash settlement to wrap up a proposed class action lawsuit, Lopez v. Apple, Inc., involving mobile device owners reporting that the tech company has routinely recorded conversations after unintentionally activating Siri.

The class action lawsuit period spans from Sept. 17, 2014, to Dec. 31 of last year, the time period Apple was implementing the “Hey, Siri” feature, which the plaintiffs allege made unauthorized recordings.

Two of the plaintiffs note of their personal issues with the feature, stating that by mentioning things such as Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden restaurants, ads were then triggered for these products. Another plaintiff began receiving ads for a surgical procedure they had only privately discussed with their health provider.

The plaintiffs may seek up to $28.5 million in fees as well as $1.1 million for expenses in this case. The members of the suit, estimated to be in the tens of millions, would likely receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled Apple device, should the settlement be agreed upon.

In agreeing to settle, however, Apple has denied any wrongdoing on its part.

This preliminary settlement was filed just this Tuesday and will require approval from US District Judge Jeffrey White before any steps forward can be taken.

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