If you have owned an Apple device in the past ten years, you might be eligible for a portion of the $95 million class action settlement with Apple.
In 2019, a lawsuit was filed by two iPhone users against Apple, alleging that Siri, the voice assistant, was listening in on their private conversations without permission.
According to Apple, Siri is designed to activate only with specific ‘hot words’ like ‘Hey Siri’ and is marketed as ‘the most private intelligent assistant’.
However, users began to suspect something was amiss when they started seeing advertisements for products they had only discussed verbally.
The lawsuit claims that the plaintiffs experienced an increase in advertisements for products like Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden after discussing them.
An additional plaintiff contended that his device displayed ads for a specific medical treatment he believed he had only spoken about with his doctor.
The lawsuit claimed Apple was capturing conversations through ‘unintended Siri activation’ and sharing this data with third parties.
Apple has refuted any wrongdoing and stated to the BBC that the settlement was reached ‘to avoid additional litigation and move forward from concerns regarding third-party grading that were addressed in 2019’.
As of Saturday (January 24), individuals have started noticing the funds from the lawsuit being deposited into their bank accounts, as reported by CBS News.
Here’s what you need to know about the lawsuit and how much compensation you might receive.
Eligibility requires ownership of a Siri-enabled device between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024.
This applies to devices such as iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, or Macs.
It is estimated that tens of millions of users may have been affected.
Individuals must have had their ‘confidential communications’ intercepted by Apple or shared with third parties due to unintended Siri activation during this period.
Eligible individuals were sent ’emails and postcards’ informing them, but others were advised to apply if they believed they were entitled.
The application period was open from May to July of the previous year.
Those eligible can expect to receive payments of up to $20 per Siri-enabled device they owned.
The compensation is limited to five devices, meaning the maximum payout could be $100.
According to CBS, the settlement payments are identified as ‘Lopez Voice Assistant,’ referring to the 2019 Lopez V. Apple lawsuit.
To date, customers have reportedly received between $8 and $40 in their bank accounts.
It’s advisable to keep a watchful eye on your bank transactions in the upcoming weeks!