Apple (AAPL, Financial) has agreed to pay $95 million in cash to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that its voice assistant Siri violated user privacy. The lawsuit claimed that Siri was inadvertently triggered, leading to the recording of private conversations, which were then shared with third parties like advertisers. This lawsuit was initiated by iPhone users in California.
Apple issued a statement clarifying that it has never sold data collected through Siri nor used it to create marketing materials. The company emphasized that unless users explicitly choose to help improve Siri, it does not retain recordings of interactions with the assistant. Apple also conveyed its ongoing efforts to develop the technology while enhancing Siri's privacy features.
As part of the settlement, millions of Apple customers who own Siri-enabled devices, such as iPhones and Apple Watches, might receive compensation of up to $20 per device.
