Apple has agreed to a $95 million settlement with users whose conversations were inadvertently captured by its Siri voice assistant and potentially overheard by human employees. The proposed settlement, reported by Bloomberg, could pay many US-based Apple product owners up to $20 per device for up to five Siri-enabled devices.

The settlement, which still requires approval by a judge, would apply to a subset of US-based people who owned or bought a Siri-enabled iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, iMac, HomePod, iPod touch, or Apple TV between September 17th, 2014, and December 31st, 2024. To be eligible, users must also swear under oath that they accidentally activated Siri during a conversation intended to be confidential or private.

Individual payouts will depend on how many people claim the money, so if you apply, you could end up receiving less than the $20 maximum cap. The settlement is a result of a class-action lawsuit filed against Apple, which alleged that the company's third-party contractors "regularly hear confidential medical information, drug deals, and recordings of couples having sex" while working on Siri quality control.

The lawsuit followed a 2019 report by The Guardian, which exposed the privacy violations. A whistleblower claimed that accidental triggers were common, stating that something as simple as the sound of a zipper could wake Siri up. Apple initially responded that only a small portion of Siri recordings were passed to contractors, but later offered a formal apology and said it would no longer retain audio recordings.

The plaintiffs in the Apple lawsuit, including one minor, claimed their iPhones had recorded them on multiple occasions using Siri, sometimes after they hadn't uttered a wake word. Apple's settlement is a significant acknowledgment of its responsibility to protect user privacy, especially in light of similar allegations against other tech giants like Google and Amazon.

In fact, Google is currently facing a similar lawsuit, and Microsoft has also admitted to allowing human workers to listen to some Skype and Cortana recordings. The issue highlights the need for tech companies to prioritize user privacy and implement robust safeguards to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information.

The settlement serves as a reminder that even seemingly innocuous features like voice assistants can have significant implications for user privacy. As the tech industry continues to evolve, it's essential for companies to prioritize transparency, accountability, and user trust. Apple's settlement is a step in the right direction, but it's only the beginning of a larger conversation about the responsibility that comes with collecting and processing user data.

In the meantime, Apple users who believe they may be eligible for the settlement can keep an eye out for further instructions on how to claim their payment. The settlement's approval and payout process are expected to unfold in the coming months.