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Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing its Siri voice assistant of recording and sharing users' private conversations without their consent. The proposed settlement was filed in federal court in Oakland, Calif., and still needs to be approved by a judge. While Apple denies any wrongdoing, the agreement could result in eligible customers paying up to $20 per Siri-enabled device. The lawsuit alleges that Siri is sometimes activated inadvertently, capturing private conversations and sharing them with third parties such as advertisers. Plaintiffs claim this violates their privacy, and some report that casual mentions of products or services result in targeted ads. One plaintiff said they received the ads after Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden were mentioned in what they thought were private conversations, while another reported ads for similar surgical treatments that were discussed confidentially with doctors. The legal battle dates back to a 2019 report from The. The Guardian revealed that Apple contractors regularly review Siri’s confidential recordings to improve the system’s functionality. One whistleblower claims that accidental activations are common, triggered by sounds as simple as zipping. Apple responded at the time that it only reviewed a small portion of the data and that it was only used to enhance Siri's performance. If approved, the settlement would resolve five years of litigation. Eligible Class Members include customers who purchased a Siri-enabled device (such as iPhone, iPad, HomePod speakers, Mac computers, Apple Watch, and Apple TV) between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024. Claimants may apply for up to five items of equipment, with potential payments of up to $20 per product. Claimants must confirm under oath that they experienced Siri recording private conversations without intentional activation. Accepting the settlement will also prevent participants from bringing related claims against Apple. As part of the settlement, Apple agreed to confirm the deletion of Siri recordings collected before October 2019 and provide clearer information about its opt-in “Improve Siri” program. its website. Like this: Like Loading… Discover more from Baller Alert Subscribe to have the latest posts delivered to your email.

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