In the wake of a $95 million class action lawsuit settlement, Apple has issued a strong denial of allegations that it misused Siri voice assistant data, reiterating that it has never sold user data or utilized it for targeted marketing purposes.
The settlement, finalized last week, stemmed from accusations that Siri, Apple's virtual assistant, was routinely recording private conversations activated unintentionally by "hot words" such as "Hey, Siri."
The plaintiffs claimed that these recordings were shared with third parties, including advertisers, without user consent.
While Apple has agreed to the settlement, it has not admitted any wrongdoing. Under the terms, eligible Apple users could receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, including iPhones and Apple Watches.
On Wednesday, Apple issued a statement clarifying its privacy practices to address public concerns and social media interpretations of the settlement.
"Apple has never used Siri data to build marketing profiles, never made it available for advertising, and never sold it to anyone for any purpose," the company said.
Apple underscored that Siri only accesses the company's servers in real-time when needed to provide accurate results, employing minimal data for these operations.
Additionally, Apple stated that it does not retain Siri audio recordings unless users explicitly opt in to help improve the assistant’s functionality. In such cases, the recordings are used solely for development purposes.
The company pledged to continue investing in technologies to enhance user privacy, emphasizing that safeguarding personal data remains a cornerstone of its philosophy.
The case has drawn parallels to a similar lawsuit filed against Google for its Voice Assistant, currently pending in federal court in San Jose, California. Notably, the same law firms representing the plaintiffs in the Apple lawsuit are involved in the Google case.
