Apple Rejects Claims of Siri Data Exploitation for Marketing; Plaintiff Claims Misleading Practices Influenced iPhone Purchase Decision

Apple has recently faced allegations regarding the use of data collected from its virtual assistant, Siri, for marketing purposes. However, the tech giant has firmly denied these accusations, asserting that it does not misuse Siri’s data for advertising or share it with third-party agencies.

Apple Refutes Claims Over Siri Data Usage

The controversy unfolded when a lawsuit was filed against Apple, claiming that the company permitted third-party organizations to access data from unintended Siri recordings for marketing initiatives. According to the plaintiffs, they received targeted advertisements for products such as Air Jordan shoes and Olive Garden meals, purportedly triggered by accidental Siri recordings of their conversations.

In response to these serious allegations, Apple has categorically denied any wrongdoing. The company emphasizes that Siri’s data collection process is anonymous and randomized, ensuring user privacy. Furthermore, Apple clarified that it does not sell Siri recordings to any external entities. While Siri’s voice data is utilized for enhancing the service, users have the option to opt-in, with this feature disabled by default. Apple stated:

Siri has been engineered to protect user privacy from the beginning. Siri data has never been used to build marketing profiles and it has never been sold to anyone for any purpose. Apple settled this case to avoid additional litigation so we can move forward from concerns about third-party grading that we already addressed in 2019. We use Siri data to improve Siri, and we are constantly developing technologies to make Siri even more private.

Background of the Lawsuit Against Apple

This legal action dates back to 2019 when the plaintiffs raised issues regarding Siri’s capability to inadvertently record conversations without user consent. At that time, there were concerns about the lack of clear privacy guidelines surrounding Siri’s functionality, particularly regarding human oversight. The plaintiffs argued that they would not have purchased iPhones had they been aware of Siri’s ability to record without consent.

Initially, the court dismissed the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the allegations. However, the lawsuit was later refilled, reasserting claims that data collected by Siri was used for targeted marketing. Despite reaching a settlement of $95 million, Apple maintains its innocence, continuously denying the validity of the plaintiffs’ claims and their appropriateness for class action treatment.

Details of the Settlement

The settlement has received initial approval from the court, allowing eligible users—those who owned an Apple device equipped with Siri in the United States between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024—to potentially receive compensation up to $20. We advise users to stay tuned for further updates regarding the settlement process.

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