Siri eavesdrops on conversations! Apple ordered to pay $95 million, with each user receiving $20

While enjoying the Siri voice assistant feature, Apple is "accidentally" recording private conversations. According to Reuters, Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class-action lawsuit in which Siri often "accidentally" recorded users' intimate conversations. According to Apple's class-action settlement protocol, $95 million will be distributed equally to each device that is secretly recorded talking without the user's consent, and each user will receive up to $20 in compensation.

Siri recording case is determined as a consumer dispute

A collective lawsuit has been filed against Apple, accusing the voice-controlled assistant Siri of intercepting voice and violating user privacy. The plaintiff claims that users are being 'listened to' in unknown states, and Siri can be accidentally activated. In addition, the plaintiff claims that Apple discloses these accidentally recorded conversations to third parties as part of a 'quality improvement program'.

Siri voice assistant has been accused of monitoring user conversations

Two plaintiffs have pointed out that they started receiving advertisements for these brands when they talked about Olive Garden restaurant, Easton baseball bats, and Pit Viper sunglasses. There was also a man who used Siri to talk to his doctor and then received medical advertisements targeted at him.

According to the plaintiff, when Siri is activated, the phone, watch, and home speaker will record user conversations, and Apple disclosed these contents to third parties without the user's consent.

There is no concrete evidence to confirm whether Siri has become a digital spy and recorded user conversations. California Judge Jeffrey White 'denied' Apple's motion to dismiss the user's complaint, and believed that there was no need for oral arguments in this case.

Apple spokesperson declined to comment on the case. Court documents show that DLA Piper and Morrison & Foerster law firms stated that Apple denies any wrongdoing and argues that the plaintiff's claims are merely "predicated on conjecture".

Apple stated that the recording function of Siri is related to the random identifier, not the user's Apple ID, name, or email address, and it is only used for the purpose of improving Siri, not for marketing.

Americans generally value privacy rights very much. The lawsuit against Apple has cost a huge amount of legal fees and time. Although Apple was ordered to pay 95 million, each user only received an average of 20 US dollars, which is equivalent to the price of a bagel and a cup of coffee for breakfast. What Americans are fighting for is their own private space, not being treated as a "product" by technology companies.

OpenAI announced in June this year that it will integrate ChatGPT into the 'Apple Experience' in collaboration with Apple. Does it make consumers nervous that 'users' have really become users used to train machines? Although the public statement states that OpenAI will not store Siri user data and IP locations, Apple does indeed collaborate with many 'third parties,' which Apple has confirmed is for the purpose of improving the 'user experience'.

This article is about Siri recording conversations! Apple was fined $95 million, and each user can receive $20. It was first reported by ChainNews ABMedia.