Apple agrees to pay R1.78 billion to settle Siri eavesdropping lawsuit

Apple has agreed to pay $95 million (over R1.78 billion) to settle a lawsuit accusing its digital assistant Siri of listening in on users' private conversations.

The proposed settlement detailed in a court filing accessed on Thursday came with Apple holding firm that it did nothing wrong.

"Apple has at all times denied and continues to deny any and all alleged wrongdoing and liability," the tech titan said in the proposed settlement, which requires a judge's approval to be finalized.

A class action lawsuit filed five years ago accused Siri of listening in on private conversations of people with iPhones, iPads, HomePods or other Apple devices enhanced with the digital assistant.

The California-based tech giant has made user privacy a big part of its brand image, and one of the reasons it tightly controls its "ecosystem" of hardware and software.

Talk captured by "unintended Siri activation" were obtained by Apple and perhaps even shared with third parties, according to the suit.

A proposed settlement fund of $95 million would be used to pay no more than $20 (around R374) per Siri device to US owners who had private conversations captured without permission, the settlement indicated.

The agreement also requires Apple to confirm it has deleted any overheard talk and make user choices clear when it comes to voice data gathered to improve Siri.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In 2023, Amazon agreed to pay more than $30 million (around R562 million) to the US Federal Trade Commission to settle litigation accusing the company of violating privacy with its Ring doorbell cameras and Alexa digital assistant.

AFP