Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of converting its virtual assistant Siri into a spy who listened to users of iPhones and other devices in a betrayal of his long-standing commitment to personal privacy.
The proposal filed in a US court earlier this week still needs to be approved by a judge, but here are some things to know about the case and the privacy issues it raised.
What was the lawsuit about?
The Wood Law Firm, which specializes in class action lawsuits, filed the complaint against Apple in August 2019.shortly after the The Guardian newspaper published an article alleging that Siri’s microphone was surreptitiously turned on to record conversations without users’ knowledge.
Apple issued a software update in September 2014 that was supposed to activate the virtual assistant only with the wake words “Hey, Siri,” but The Guardian story alleged that Siri was listening and recording conversations at other times to help improve the company’s technology.
The story led to the lawsuit, which later raised allegations that Apple shared some of the conversations Siri secretly recorded with advertisers seeking to connect with consumers more likely to buy its products and services.
How many people does the agreement cover?
Millions of consumers USA Those who owned or purchased iPhones and other Siri-equipped devices from September 17, 2014 through the end of last year will be eligible to file claims.
How much money will each eligible consumer receive?
It’s too early to say for sure, but the deal currently calls for paying up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, with a maximum per consumer. The final amount could be affected by two factors: the number of claims and what is left of the settlement to cover legal fees and expenses.
One claims administrator estimates that only 3% to 5% of eligible consumers will file claims. Attorneys in the case are currently seeking nearly $30 million in fees and expenses, but that figure could still be reduced by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, who is overseeing the case in Oakland, California. A court hearing has been proposed on February 14 to review the terms of the agreement.
Did Apple violate any laws?
If the allegations are true, Apple could have violated federal wiretapping laws and other statutes designed to protect people’s privacy. But the company strongly denied any wrongdoing and said it would have been acquitted if the case had gone to trial. Lawyers representing consumers claimed that Apple’s misconduct was so serious that the company could have been liable for $1.5 billion in damages if it lost the case.
Although Apple has not explained its reasons for settling out of court, large companies often decide that it makes more sense to settle class action cases rather than continue racking up legal costs and risk the possibility of bad publicity. The lawsuit also took aim at one of Apple’s core values by framing privacy as a “fundamental human right.”
While $95 million sounds like a lot of money, it’s peanuts for Apple. dSince September 2014, the company’s total earnings have surpassed $700 billion, a run of prosperity that has helped boost the company’s market value to about $3.7 trillion.
Should I worry about microphones on other devices?
Maybe. A case similar to the one filed against Siri is still active in federal court in San Jose, California, against Google and the virtual assistant with its Android software, which has been widely used in smartphones for years.
Just in case, how do I turn off Siri?
You can disable Apple’s virtual assistant by following these simple steps:
1. Go to Settings Siri & Search.
2. Turn off Listen for “Hey Siri” and press the side button for Siri.
3. Tap Turn off Siri when a pop-up window appears.
You can also disable access to your iPhone’s microphone by individual apps by doing the following: Go to Settings, select the app where you want to disable the microphone, and turn off the microphone feature.