Privacy in technological devices is currently something important, both for the user and for companies, which want to make it clear that they have sufficient security so that their customers have peace of mind. Apple usually reinforces this point a lot.
However, there are times when, like any company, it has problems. This is the case that we will see today, where a claim has been accepted, and Apple must pay plaintiffs money worth $95 million because Siri was activated and recording conversations without permission.
Was Siri spying on users?
If you've used an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or other device with Siri and it ever activated itself in the middle of a private conversation, you may be eligible for some money. Apple reached a $95 million settlement for a class-action lawsuit related to this issue, and now the first payments are beginning to reach some users.
All this comes from afar. For years there were people who reported that Siri would turn on without warning and end up picking up fragments of conversations that were not intended for the assistant. That raised many questions about privacy. Apple always defended that it had not done anything wrong, but still chose to close the case with an agreement so as not to prolong the court process.
To be eligible for compensation, you had to have used a device with Siri between September 2014 and December 2024, reside in the United States and have suffered at least one accidental activation of the assistant during a private conversation. In addition, up to five different devices could be included if they met those conditions.
The total fund of the settlement is $95 million, but the money is distributed based on the number of people who claimed and the devices included. At first there was talk of even about 20 dollars per devicewith a maximum of 100 dollars, although in practice the final amounts are lower and remain at a few dollars for each one.
What is happening now is that those who submitted the claim correctly are already beginning to see the money reflected in their accounts or in the payment methods they indicated. If you were involved in the process, you should have received some notice confirming it, although we understand that few users here reside in the United States, so, despite it having happened to you on these dates, you will not be entitled.
In short, if you lived in the US, met the requirements, and submitted your application on time, you may already be collecting part of that Siri and privacy settlement. It is not a large amount, but for many users it is an unexpected income that comes almost by surprise, since It is difficult for Apple to lose these types of lawsuitsso many would not expect that they would finally receive something.
And you, do you think it is something logical, or was Siri really not collecting information and it was a simple activation error believing that you were saying the magic word? Leave us a comment with your opinion about it.
