financetom
Business
financetom
/
Business
/
Apple to pay $95 million to settle Siri privacy lawsuit
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Apple to pay $95 million to settle Siri privacy lawsuit
Jan 2, 2025 7:23 AM

(Reuters) - Apple ( AAPL ) agreed to pay $95 million in cash to settle a proposed class action lawsuit claiming that its voice-activated Siri assistant violated users' privacy.

A preliminary settlement was filed on Tuesday night in the Oakland, California federal court, and requires approval by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White.

Mobile device owners complained that Apple ( AAPL ) routinely recorded their private conversations after they activated Siri unintentionally, and disclosed these conversations to third parties such as advertisers.

Voice assistants typically react when people use "hot words" such as "Hey, Siri."

Two plaintiffs said their mentions of Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden restaurants triggered ads for those products. Another said he got ads for a brand name surgical treatment after discussing it, he thought privately, with his doctor.

The class period runs from Sept. 17, 2014 to Dec. 31, 2024. It began when Siri incorporated the "Hey, Siri" feature that allegedly led to the unauthorized recordings.

Class members, estimated in the tens of millions, may receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, such as iPhones and Apple Watches.

Apple ( AAPL ) denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.

The Cupertino, California-based company and its lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs 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 is about nine hours of profit for Apple ( AAPL ), whose net income was $93.74 billion in its latest fiscal year.

A similar lawsuit on behalf of users of Google's Voice Assistant is pending in the San Jose, California federal court, in the same district as the Oakland court. The plaintiffs are represented by the same law firms as in the Apple ( AAPL ) case.

The case is Lopez et al v. Apple Inc. ( AAPL ), U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 19-04577.

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
First Financial Shareholders Approve Global Federal Credit Union's Acquisition of Banking Unit
First Financial Shareholders Approve Global Federal Credit Union's Acquisition of Banking Unit
Jul 19, 2024
04:01 PM EDT, 07/19/2024 (MT Newswires) -- First Financial Northwest ( FFNW ) said Friday that preliminary results showed that its shareholders have approved Global Federal Credit Union's acquisition of First Financial Northwest Bank at a special meeting. The bank had received regulatory approvals from Washington State Department of Financial Institutions for the deal, the firm said, adding that it...
American Airlines flight attendants reach new contract deal
American Airlines flight attendants reach new contract deal
Jul 19, 2024
CHICAGO (Reuters) -American Airlines' ( AAL ) 28,000 flight attendants have reached a tentative labor agreement with the company, their union said on Friday. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents the flight attendants, said the deal addresses their concerns about compensation, work rules and retroactive pay. It did not offer more details. Reached after more than three years...
U.S. FTC probes Hess, Occidental execs over OPEC communication, Bloomberg reports
U.S. FTC probes Hess, Occidental execs over OPEC communication, Bloomberg reports
Jul 19, 2024
(Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is probing executives from major oil firms, including Hess Corp, Occidental and Diamondback Energy over their communications with OPEC officials, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Agency investigators are looking for evidence of executives attempting to collude with OPEC officials on oil market dynamics, the report said. Earlier this...
Why Are Starbucks Shares Trading Higher Today?
Why Are Starbucks Shares Trading Higher Today?
Jul 19, 2024
Shares of Starbucks Corporation ( SBUX ) are trading higher on Friday following a WSJ report suggesting Elliott Investment Management has taken a significant stake in the coffee giant. What’s Going On: Elliott has reportedly been pushing for changes behind the scenes, aiming to address the challenges Starbucks ( SBUX ) faces. While the exact size of Elliott’s stake and...
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved