Apple has agreed to pay $95 million USD in cash to users claiming that its voice-activated assistant, Siri, has violated their privacy in a proposed class-action lawsuit, according to Reuters.
Apple denied any malpractice in its settlement agreement, which was filed in federal court in Oakland, California, on Tuesday evening. The agreement still requires approval from U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White. Per the outlet, the $95 million USD payout equates to approximately nine hours of profit for the California-based tech giant.
If passed, people who bought a Siri-enabled iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, iMac, HomePod, iPod Touch or Apple TV in the US between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024, could earn $20 USD per device for up to five devices, though payouts will ultimately depend on the number of claims. Notably, device owners will also need to state under oath that they unintentionally activated Siri while speaking in an environment they believed to be private.
In the suit, two plaintiffs stated that after they had real-life conversations about Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden restaurants, their devices began showing ads for those products. Another plaintiff received a promotion for a specific medical treatment after having a conversation that he believed to be confidential with his doctor.
Apple is not the only company to end up in court about its voice-activated assistant technology. Google is currently facing a similar lawsuit from its voice assistant users, who the same law firms represent as in the Siri case.
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