Apple has been spying on users for years and will pay a fine
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Apple, known for its concern for user privacy, has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a civil lawsuit. The lawsuit accused the company of using its virtual assistant Siri to eavesdrop on people using iPhones and other devices.
This was reported by CBS News.
What is known about the lawsuit against Apple
The proposed settlement agreement, which was filed in a federal court in Oakland, California, provides for the end of a 5-year lawsuit. The lawsuit concerned allegations of secretly recording conversations through Apple devices equipped with Siri for more than a decade.
According to the lawsuit, Siri could be activated and record conversations even when users did not say the trigger words "Hello, Siri". Some of these recordings, according to the plaintiffs, were shared with advertisers to help sell products that might be of interest to users.
Such accusations contradicted Apple's position, which has emphasized its commitment to privacy for years. CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly stated that privacy is a "fundamental human right".
Despite agreeing to the settlement, Apple did not plead guilty. The final approval of the agreement depends on the decision of US District Judge Jeffrey White. A court hearing on this issue is scheduled for February 14 in Oakland.
If the settlement is approved, users of iPhones and other Apple devices that used Siri from September 17, 2014, until the end of last year will be eligible to file claims. Each consumer could receive up to $20 per device, but the exact amount will depend on the number of claims filed. A maximum of five devices can be compensated for.
It is expected that only 3-5% of eligible users will file claims, as evidenced by estimates in court documents.
Apple's $95 million payout is only a small fraction of its $705 billion in profits since 2014. It is also significantly less than the $1.5 billion that the company could have paid in case of a court case.
As a reminder, every day you receive a lot of notifications on your smartphone, which can be difficult to sort and view, and the constant sound of the notification can be distracting. Your iPhone has a feature that helps you set the vibration to prioritize notifications and calls.
We also wrote that Apple is expected to announce new products in the spring of 2025. In particular, the company may show new iPads, MacBooks, and the budget iPhone SE.
