Apple proposes $95 mil settlement in lawsuit over alleged Siri eavesdropping

The settlement offer, filed Tuesday night in the US District Court for Northern California in Oakland, addresses legal action filed in 2019 by owners of Apple mobile devices, including the popular iPhone and Apple Watch.

The plaintiffs say Apple's Siri virtual assistant recorded their private conversations after unintentionally activating the app.

The surreptitious recordings were allegedly disclosed to advertisers and other third parties for review.

Apple said its Siri app only became active when users said, "Hey, Siri." However, a whistleblower reported in 2019 that the Siri app sometimes became active upon hearing similar words or sounds, such as zippers opening and closing, or other background noises.

After unintentionally becoming active, Siri often recorded conversations and other activities, include sexual relations and drug deals, that the owners of respective Apple products did not intend to be heard, the plaintiffs allege.

One plaintiff said her Apple devices at times recorded her daughter after she mentioned brand names, like Air Jordan and Olive Garden, which led to the targeted placement of ads while using Apple's Safari web browser.

Another plaintiff said he discussed a surgical procedure with his doctor and afterward received advertisements for surgical treatments by medical services brands.

The plaintiff said the unintended recordings violated their privacy despite Apple's marketing claims of protecting users' privacy.

The proposed plaintiff class includes tens of millions of owners of Apple products with the Siri virtual assistant, including iPhones and Apple Watches, from Sept. 17, 2014, through 2024.

Each person would receive $20 for each Siri-enabled Apple device that they owned during that period.

Apple officials admit to no wrongdoing in the settlement offer but have agreed to delete any recordings made prior to October 2019 and update instructions for users who wish to share data with Siri to improve its service.

Northern California U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White must approve the settlement.

--BERNAMA-UPI