SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 3, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to
settle a lawsuit accusing its digital assistant Siri of listening in on
users' private conversations.

The proposed settlement detailed in a court filing accessed on Thursday came
with Apple holding firm that it did nothing wrong.

"Apple has at all times denied and continues to deny any and all alleged
wrongdoing and liability," the tech titan said in the proposed settlement,
which requires a judge's approval to be finalized.

A class action lawsuit filed five years ago accused Siri of listening in on
private conversations of people with iPhones, iPads, HomePods or other Apple
devices enhanced with the digital assistant.

The California-based tech giant has made user privacy a big part of its brand
image, and one of the reasons it tightly controls its "ecosystem" of hardware
and software.

Talk captured by "unintended Siri activation" were obtained by Apple and
perhaps even shared with third parties, according to the suit.

A proposed settlement fund of $95 million would be used to pay no more than
$20 per Siri device to US owners who had private conversations captured
without permission, the settlement indicated.

The agreement also requires Apple to confirm it has deleted any overheard
talk and make user choices clear when it comes to voice data gathered to
improve Siri.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In 2023, Amazon agreed to pay more than $30 million to the US Federal Trade
Commission to settle litigation accusing the company of violating privacy
with its Ring doorbell cameras and Alexa digital assistant.