Apple has firmly stated that data collected through its voice assistant Siri has never been sold or used for marketing purposes, following a recent $95 million privacy lawsuit settlement.
The tech giant emphasized that Siri was designed with user privacy as a core principle from its inception. The company maintains that Siri data is exclusively used to improve the voice assistant's functionality and has never been utilized to create marketing profiles.
The statement comes after Apple agreed to settle a class action lawsuit where users alleged their private conversations were inadvertently recorded and shared with advertisers. While settling the case, Apple denied any wrongdoing and explained the decision was made to avoid prolonged litigation.
In 2019, Apple implemented several privacy enhancements for Siri following concerns about third-party contractors hearing private user interactions during the "grading" process. These improvements included:
- Stopping the retention of Siri interaction recordings
- Making audio sample sharing opt-in only
- Restricting audio sample review to Apple employees only
- Automatically deleting accidental Siri activations
The settlement requires Apple to permanently delete Siri audio recordings collected before October 2019 and provide users with clear information about opting into Siri improvements.
The class action period spans from September 2014, when "Hey Siri" was introduced, through December 2024. Affected users with Siri-enabled devices may be eligible for compensation up to $20 per device.
This settlement represents approximately nine hours of profit for Apple, highlighting the relatively minor financial impact on the technology company.