Apple has agreed to pay $95 million (approximately 1,140 crore BDT) to settle a lawsuit accusing its virtual assistant, Siri, of secretly recording users’ private conversations. The lawsuit, filed five years ago, alleged that Siri collected and potentially shared private voice data from iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users without their consent.
On Tuesday, Apple submitted a motion for preliminary approval of the settlement in a California federal court. While the company denied the allegations, it agreed to resolve the matter. As part of the settlement, Apple will create a $95 million fund, compensating affected users with $20 each. The agreement also requires Apple to delete all voice data collected through Siri and ensure future data collection prioritizes user consent.
The lawsuit claimed that Siri not only recorded private conversations but may have shared the data with third-party organizations, sparking serious privacy concerns. Apple has consistently denied these allegations but chose to settle to avoid prolonged litigation.
This isn’t the first privacy-related settlement for a tech giant. In 2023, Amazon agreed to pay $30 million to settle similar accusations involving its Ring doorbells and Alexa devices.
The settlement underscores the growing scrutiny over the privacy practices of virtual assistants and the need for transparency in data collection.
