What you need to know
- Apple is being sued over the Siri recording fiasco that broke last month.
- The plaintiff filed the lawsuit in Northern California.
- It seeks an unspecified amount in damages and for Apple to delete the Siri recordings.
Apple is being hit with its first class action lawsuit as a result of the Siri recordings that were passed on to contractors to listen to. First spotted by Kid Lewsing, the lawsuit was filed in federal court in Northern California.
The lawsuit goes after Apple for failing to disclose this practice to users and offering an opt own option.
At no point did Plaintiffs consent to these unlawful recordings. Apple does not disclose that Siri Devices record conversations that are not preceded by a wake phrase or gesture. Plaintiffs Lopez and A.L., therefore, did not agree to be recorded by their Siri Devices, respectively. Moreover, Apple could not have obtained consent from Plaintiff A.L., a minor without an Apple account.
The lawsuit also points out the Apple tries to stand apart from Facebook, Amazon and Google with its privacy first approach, but that isn't really the case as the fiasco has shown.
Apple has sought to distinguish itself from competing technology companies such as Facebook, Amazon, and Apple that have been implicated in scandals involving the collection, sharing or selling of user data by touting its privacy protections. If an individual were to ask Siri "Hey Siri, are you always listening" Siri is programmed to respond: "I only listen when you're talking to me."
The plaintiff goes on to argue that if users wanted to use Apple devices in the future, how would they be certain this practice isn't going on anymore.
Plaintiffs would like to continue to use Siri Devices in the future, but will be uncertain as to whether Apple ceased its unlawful practices and violation of their privacy rights without the equitable relief requested herein, specifically an injunction prohibiting Apple from engaging in the unlawful practices alleged herein
The plaintiffs are looking for a certain amount in damages and for Apple to delete the Siri recordings.
