Following a $95 million class-action lawsuit settlement, Apple has denied allegations regarding the misuse of Siri voice assistant data, reaffirming that it has never sold user data or used it for targeted marketing.
The lawsuit, settled last week, accused Siri of routinely recording private conversations triggered unintentionally by phrases like “Hey, Siri.” Plaintiffs alleged that these recordings were shared with third parties, including advertisers, without users’ consent.
Although Apple has agreed to the settlement, it has not admitted to any wrongdoing. As part of the settlement, eligible Apple users could receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, such as iPhones and Apple Watches.
On Wednesday, Apple addressed public concerns and social media interpretations of the settlement, issuing a statement to clarify its privacy practices. The company stressed, “Apple has never used Siri data to build marketing profiles, never made it available for advertising, and never sold it to anyone for any purpose.”
Apple emphasized that Siri only accesses its servers in real-time when necessary to provide accurate results, using minimal data for such operations. It also pointed out that Siri audio recordings are not stored unless users opt-in to help improve the assistant’s functionality, and in those cases, recordings are used only for development.
The company reassured that it will continue investing in technologies to enhance user privacy, affirming that protecting personal data is a core value.
This case mirrors a similar lawsuit filed against Google over its Voice Assistant, which is still pending in federal court in San Jose, California. The same law firms involved in Apple’s case are also representing plaintiffs in the Google lawsuit.
