Featured Image Credit: Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The amount of money that every individual eligible for compensation in the lawsuit against Apple has been revealed.
This comes after the tech giant reached a $95 million settlement after users sued Apple over privacy concerns.
According to the lawsuit, millions of conversations held by users of Google and Apple were listened to and recorded without their knowledge.
The lawsuit was first filed by Fumiko Lopez, along with others, back in 2019. They claimed that their recorded discussions were being shared with brands to create targeted advertisements.
Advert
The court documents detail how some people reported having had targeted advertisements promoted to them based on brands they had mentioned in private conversations.
According to a report by The New York Post, Apple recorded users without them using the words ‘Hey Siri’, and Google had acted similarly, recording its users without them using ‘OK, Google’.
However, on the Apple website it claims that Siri is the ‘most private intelligent assistant’ who should only be activated with ‘hot words’ such as ‘Hey Siri’.
According to the lawsuit, the two plaintiffs’ mentions of shopping for Air Jordan sneakers and at Olive Garden restaurants meant they suddenly saw more ads for said products.
A third claimed his device had adverts for a branded surgical treatment that he thought he had discussed privately with his doctor.
Apple has denied any wrongdoing and told the BBC last year it settled the case ‘to avoid additional litigation so we can move forward from concerns about third-party grading that we already addressed in 2019’.
Apple wrote on its website: “Apple denies all of the allegations made in the lawsuit and denies that Apple did anything improper or unlawful.”
To be eligible, you must have owned a Siri-incorporated device between September 17 2014 and December 31 2024.
This could include iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches or Macs.
Tens of millions of people are believed to have been impacted.
Qualifying people received ‘emails and postcards’ letting them know, but others were encouraged to apply if they thought they were entitled.
Applications ran between May and July last year.
Users can expect to receive up to $20 per Siri-activated device they own.
The payments are capped at five devices, so the maximum amount you could get is $100.
Customers have so far reported receiving between $8 and $40 into their bank accounts.
A website created to provide updates on the lawsuit stated: “If you believe you are a Settlement Class Member, you must submit a valid Claim Form to get a payment from the Settlement. Settlement Class Members may submit claims for up to five Siri Devices on which they claim to have experienced an unintended Siri activation during a conversation intended to be confidential or private.”
