Apple has become the subject of a new class-action lawsuit for unlawfully and intentionally making personal Siri recordings available to third-party contractors. The lawsuit has been filed in the Nothern California court and it accuses Apple of breaching the privacy of its users.
A Guardian report recently highlighted that third-party contractors employed by Apple listen to personal Siri recordings of users for grading purposes.
Class action suit filed in federal court in Northern California over Siri recordings for human QA https://t.co/fcYISktYHn
— kif (@kifleswing) August 7, 2019
During this process, they often get to hear many private and confidential information of users including their medical history. Apple never made it clear outright that it was using a portion of Siri recordings for grading purposes. It also never offered users a way to opt-out of this grading process.
Following the report, Apple suspended its Siri grading program and promised to offer users an option to opt-out of this process with a future software update. It is also conducting a thorough audit of its grading program to evaluate how it can be further improved.
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 highlights how Siri records a user’s voice when it is accidentally triggered. It also mentions how Apple seeks to differentiate itself from the likes of Amazon and Google by highlighting its tough stance on user privacy and security. It further alleges that many people would not have purchased Apple devices had they known that their conversations were being recorded without their consent.
It is likely that Apple will become the subject of more such lawsuits over unlawful Siri recordings in the coming weeks.
