Ethical Hacking News
Apple agrees to pay $95 million in a class-action lawsuit related to allegations that Siri secretly recorded users' conversations without their consent. The settlement comes as concerns over data privacy and AI continue to grow.
Apple proposes a $95 million settlement to settle claims that Siri secretly recorded users' conversations without consent. The proposed settlement comes at a time when concerns over data privacy and AI use by tech giants are high. California requires consent from both parties for recordings, but Apple claimed Siri only records with the "Hey Siri" trigger. Siri can be activated by nearly anything, including sounds like a zip or an individual raising their arms and speaking. The settlement represents a recognition of wrongdoing and a commitment to change Apple's practices. Critics argue the settlement is too little, too late, and calls for greater regulation over AI-powered assistants.
Apple has filed a proposed settlement worth $95 million to settle claims that its Siri voice assistant was secretly recording users' conversations without their consent. The class-action lawsuit, Lopez et al v. Apple Inc., was brought after a whistleblower alleged in 2019 that Siri was listening in on audio conversations without the requisite "Hey Siri" spoken command or manually activating the voice assistant.
The proposed settlement comes at a time when concerns over data privacy and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by tech giants have reached new heights. Apple, like many other companies, has faced scrutiny over its handling of user data, particularly in regards to AI-powered assistants.
According to court filings, California requires consent from both parties for recordings. However, Apple's response to Congress in 2018 claimed that Siri only records audio when the "Hey Siri" trigger is spoken or manually activated. This stance has been disputed by plaintiffs, who argue that Siri can be activated by nearly anything, including sounds like a zip or an individual raising their arms and speaking.
The complaint reads: "Far from requiring a 'clear, unambiguous trigger' as Apple claimed in its response to Congress, Siri can be activated by nearly anything." Once activated, Siri records everything within range of the device's microphone and sends it to Apple's servers. This raises concerns over data privacy and the potential for unauthorized access to sensitive information.
The proposed settlement is a significant concession from Apple, with the company agreeing to pay $95 million to settle claims that its Siri voice assistant was used without consent. While this amount may seem insignificant compared to Apple's vast profits, it represents a recognition of wrongdoing on the part of the company and a commitment to change its practices.
However, critics argue that the settlement is too little, too late. Many users feel that they have been betrayed by Apple's failure to protect their data and privacy. The incident has sparked renewed calls for greater regulation over the use of AI-powered assistants and stricter safeguards to prevent unauthorized data collection.
The proposed settlement also raises questions about accountability and corporate culture within Apple. How could such a widespread practice go undetected? What role did executives play in allowing this to happen? And what steps will be taken to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future?
Ultimately, the proposed settlement represents a significant step towards transparency and accountability within Apple. While it is too early to determine whether the company has learned from its mistakes, it marks an important turning point in the debate over data privacy and AI-powered assistants.
Related Information:
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/01/02/apple_siri_lawsuit/
Published: Thu Jan 2 15:57:06 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
