In yet another case of big tech privacy breaches, Apple has agreed to pay out $95 million (approximately £77 million / AU$153 million) due to violations involving the iPhone maker’s voice-activated virtual assistant, Siri.
A lawsuit launched in 2019 accused the company of recording users’ private conversations when they believed Siri to be deactivated, including sensitive medical information.
It’s estimated that tens of millions of people were affected by this security breach, with each person claiming that this data was then shared with third parties, as they subsequently noticed advertisements for products and services they mentioned began popping up on their devices.
Despite the large $95 million pool, everyone affected is eligible to file for $20 (£16 / AU$32) compensation. To claim this vast sum, you must prove that you owned a Siri-enabled Apple device between September 14 2014 and December 31 2024, and you need to be based in the US.
You also need to share, under oath, that you experienced Siri activating unintentionally and had private conversations recorded by the voice assistant.
It was UK newspaper The Guardian that first revealed the privacy breach, reporting that Apple was employing contractors to listen to Siri recordings of private conversations including medical appointments, sexual encounters and drug deals.
Back in November, I reported that Apple was also being sued for $3 billion for allegedly contravening competition law by making it difficult for its customers to use alternative companies to iCloud.
Google has a similar lawsuit waiting in the wings, claiming that Google Assistant can activate and record a user's conversations without the need for a wake phrase like “OK Google.”
Apple has not clarified whether it sold information to third parties, a large part of the claims. Those affected by this worryingly common assault on privacy will be sent away with a mere $20 without even an apology, as part of the proposed settlement includes Apple not admitting liability for recording users without permission or any potential misuse.
Apple has proposed a decision date of February 14 2025 in the Californian court. A website to confirm this will be set up within 45 days, and you then have until May 15 2025 to file your claim.
While it’s a positive thing that Apple is being publicly held accountable for its gross security oversights, the reality is that the consumer will continue to suffer from these normalized, yet serious privacy breaches – often being unaware that their private data is being harvested for who knows what purpose.
Equally, these kinds of stories stop remarkably few people from continuing to use the guilty technology, nor stop new customers joining. There seems to be an emerging power and responsibility struggle between the consumer and tech companies accompanying the emergence of new technologies, including AI.
As consumers we expect transparency and honesty, and not to be swindled by our chosen provider. However, the provider appears to believe they can do whatever they want – and if they get caught, they pay a fine knowing full well that it will only make a tiny dent in their sales, and then give them the opportunity to blame the consumer when the situation inevitably arises again along the way.
I vote digging out your old phone and sticking with that, or buying into the best dumbphones.
US surveillance and technology laws have not caught up with the emergence of “smart devices” and, in addition to the current Google lawsuit mentioned above, in 2017 Samsung had a lawsuit filed against it for unlawfully recording its users on its smart TVs. A New Jersey federal court dismissed it on a technicality, but a new civil suit has been brought forward.
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If this hasn't put you off Apple products, why not take a look at our guides to the best iPhone for photography, the best camera phone, and the best lenses for iPhone and Android camera phones.
