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Apple Siri Eavesdropping Class Action Lawsuit Overview:
- Who: A federal judge readmitted part of a 2019 class action lawsuit filed against Apple, Inc.
- Why: The judge ruled that the plaintiffs succeeded in alleging Apple Siri devices were responsible for targeted advertisements and accidental activation leading to invasion of privacy.
- Where: The class action lawsuit is pendingin California federal court.
A federal judge in California has readmitted part of an amended class action lawsuit filed against Apple alleging its Siri voice-activation devices violated the privacy of consumers by improperly recording, storing, and sharing private conversations.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White had previously dismissed the class action lawsuit after ruling the plaintiffs failed to allege that they themselves had sustained economic injury or suffered from an accidental Siri voice activation.
Apple argued that it did not intentionally intercept any conversations. The tech giants also contended that users provide consent because the device alerts them if it is accidentally triggered. Further, plaintiffs did not properly plead a privacy violation under the California Constitution, according to the company.
Consumers Claim Ad Targeting After Apple Siri Eavesdropping
Lead plaintiff Fumiko Lopez’s revised class action lawsuit adds factual allegations about his use of Apple Siri voice activation devices, including that he allegedly received targeted advertisements based on private conversations he had near a Siri device.
Another plaintiff, John Pappas, alleges he received targeted advertisements for pharmaceutical drugs after he talked to his physician in the presence of an Apple Siri device. Plaintiffs Lishomwa Henry and David Yacubian, meanwhile, both allege they observed Siri devices accidentally activate, according to the order.
“On balance, the Court finds that these allegations plausibly show that Plaintiffs’ private communications were intercepted,” states White’s order issued Thursday.
White said while Apple places blame on the plaintiffs for not alleging the specific contents of their communications, the fact they were made in a private setting, despite the presence of a Siri device, is enough to warrant that there should be a reasonable expectation of privacy.
The targeted advertising claims were also plausible, White says.
“The complaint plausibly alleges that targeted advertising arose from Siri interception, rather than another commercial auditory interception device,” states White’s order.
White noted plaintiffs still had not alleged economic injury and thus dismissed that part of the Apple Siri class action lawsuit.
Lopez now has 20 days to file another amended class action lawsuit.
A similar class action lawsuit was filed this month against Amazon alleging the company uses its Amazon Alexa devices to improperly capture and store the biometric data of its users.
Do you believe you have received targeted advertisements after talking privately near an Apple Siri device? Let us know in the comments!
The plaintiffs are represented by Mark N. Todzo and Eric S. Somers of Lexington Law Group, Vincent Briganti, Christian Levis, and Andrea Farah of Lowey Dannenberg PC, Joseph P. Guglielmo and Erin Green Comite of Scott & Scott Attorneys At Law LLP, and E. Kirk Wood of the Wood Law Firm.
The Apple Siri Class Action Lawsuit is Lopez v. Apple, Inc., Case No. 4:19-cv-04577, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
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676 thoughts onApple Siri Eavesdropping Class Action Claims Proceed Under Recent Ruling
No doubt both my husband and I have received ads and information after having a conversation about something.
I told my husband that I was going on a 23:1 fast at approximately 11:00 pm on 10/14/23. On 10/16/23, at approximately 9:30 am, my HUSBAND received a You Tube add for The 16:8 method “Fasting 16:8 for beginners-4 weeks away from your new body” Sponsored by Simple Life.
My husband has never searched for fasting idea, as he is skinny already, and I have never given HIS phone permission to intercept MY conversations.
Businesses like Home Depot and Burger King have their own apps that spy on you. See for example the NPR article from February 13, 2017: ‘Aisles Have Eyes’ Warns That Brick–And–Mortar Stores Are Watching You.
I have only just now discovered by accident that Siri on my MacBook Pro was turned on by default even though I have never used Siri on said device. Not only have I been using my MacBook for remote telehealth appointments since early 2020 (sensitive information) but the amount of things I have said and done in the privacy of my own home ever since I got this computer in 2012(!) is incalculable. I wonder if this is how my identity got stolen in February 2019. I take this kind of thing very seriously; it is why I will never buy a smart tv, nor an Alexa nor Google device, and have “hey siri” turned off on my iPhone. We are constantly assured that Apple prioritizes our security. I feel blindsided and betrayed, and I want in on any class action lawsuit holding these techno–spies accountable.
Add me please
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100% IV. Been taking screenshots and videos of Siri not only eavesdropping but listening to everything that I’m saying and then dropping ads. Instantly example I was in the Best Buy and I had told my boss that I had been buying the nighthawk router for our new shop, I get outside the door and I had ads for the exact same router that I had just bought And Siri not only that just yesterday I was talking about something completely different that didn’t even have the words Siri in it and she activated it and started telling me that she was gonna call me by a different name and then started to search up a few other items that I wasn’t even talking to her about in the weirdest thing is that Alexa was eavesdropping, and then Siri next to her started a conversation about things that I was talking about the previous day
Yes, This happened to me in two particular situations that both seemed an unsettling invasion of privacy. The first was at the beginning of the Pandemic, I went to video chats for sessions my therapist us&’g her encrypted, healthcare-specific portal. Within 30 minutes of the discussion i receiving suggestions on Instagram for Audible books on the specific (non-covid related) topics I was discussing with the therapist. I had my phone on the table next to my laptop where I was doing the video chat. After that I decided to only do cell phone calls for remote meetings with a therapist and it has not happened again. I have also been using my cell phone for meetings with my financial advisor until this week we did an annual review over Zoom, my cell phone out on the table, and within minutes of the call I started getting pre-canned ads on my Apple Podcasts for the specific college we had discussed saving for. I had never googled this college and don’t follow them on social media. Both conversations really should have been private.
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My nephews when they come visit affectionately call me “Bean Box” for reasons that aren’t worth describing. What is relevant is that on Facebook not long after they left an advertisement for Bean Box appeared, which apparently is a variety pack of coffee sold in the U.S. I can’t think of a more blatant example of my iPhone listening to me and my conversations with others. It’s hardly the only instance either. I’m outraged and wondering what I can do about it.