Apple has agreed to pay US$95 million (A$153 million) to settle a lawsuit in the United States which alleged it breached the privacy of people who used its Siri voice-activated assistant.
A preliminary settlement was filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland but it needs the approval of U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, Reuters reported.
The plaintiffs alleged private conversations were recorded without consent and shared with third-party contractors when Siri was inadvertently activated on devices like their iPhones and Apple watches, violating privacy rights under U.S. federal and state laws.
Apple settled the case despite denying any wrongdoing.
Under the settlement, which covers Siri users from 17 September 2014 to 31 December 2024, eligible class members may receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled device.
Voice assistants typically react when people use phrases like “Hey, Siri”.
Plaintiffs alleged their mentions of shoes, restaurants or even surgical treatments triggered advertisements for those products or treatments.
A similar lawsuit against Alphabet Inc business Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) regarding its voice assistant is pending in another federal court in California with the plaintiffs represented by the same law firms as in the Apple case.
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) shares closed at $243.85, down $6.57 (2.62%), capitalising the company at $3.69 trillion.