Apple has reiterated its commitment to protecting user privacy, describing Siri as the “most private digital assistant” on the market.
This statement comes shortly after the tech company agreed to a $95 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit over claims that Siri recorded users without consent.
The lawsuit, originally filed in 2019, accused Apple of unlawfully recording private conversations through unintentional Siri activations. In a court-approved settlement, Apple agreed to establish a $95 million non-reversionary fund to compensate affected users. The agreement covers U.S. residents who owned or purchased Siri-enabled devices between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024. The company has denied any wrongdoing but opted for the settlement.
Apple says that Siri processes as much data as possible directly on users’ devices, reducing the need to send personal information to Apple servers. For example, when a user asks Siri to read unread messages or uses widgets, the processing is handled locally on the device. The company says this approach ensures that sensitive data, like message content, isn’t transmitted to Apple’s servers.
In its statement, Apple emphasised that user privacy remains a cornerstone of its design philosophy. “We believe privacy is a fundamental human right, and we will continue our relentless focus on designing our products and services to protect it.”
Siri: On-Device processing to protect privacy
Apple says that Siri processes as much data as possible directly on users’ devices, reducing the need to send personal information to Apple servers. For example, when a user asks Siri to read unread messages or uses widgets, the processing is handled locally on the device. The company says this approach ensures that sensitive data, like message content, isn’t transmitted to Apple’s servers.
For more complex requests requiring server input, Apple minimizes the data sent. Instead of associating requests with Apple accounts, it uses random identifiers to anonymize user data.
“A random identifier — a long string of letters and numbers associated with a single device — is used to keep track of data while it’s being processed, rather than tying it to a user’s identity through their Apple Account or phone number — a process that we believe is unique among digital assistants in use today,” Apple says.
Apple also points to its “Private Cloud Compute” system as a “breakthrough” in preserving privacy. The system processes larger models in the cloud when necessary, but ensures that users’ data remains inaccessible to Apple and is only used to fulfill specific requests.
“We are at the start of a new era for Siri,” the company explains, adding that this approach combines on-device intelligence with secure cloud processing to make Siri “more capable, personal, and helpful every day.”
The $95 million settlement revolved around allegations that Siri unintentionally recorded private conversations without user consent. Plaintiffs argued this violated federal and state privacy laws, including the Wiretap Act and the California Invasion of Privacy Act. In particular, the “Hey Siri” activation feature was said to inadvertently capture sensitive information during false activations.
As part of the settlement, Apple also agreed to non-monetary measures, including permanently deleting Siri audio recordings collected before October 2019 and publishing additional resources to help users manage Siri’s data-sharing settings.
This raises concerns about potential breaches of privacy, particularly as other voice assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant, have faced similar accusations.
Apple maintains it has “never used Siri data to build marketing profiles, never made it available for advertising, and never sold it to anyone for any purpose.”
According to PwC’s “Prepare for the Voice Revolution” report, while 90% of consumers are familiar with voice-enabled devices, only 72% have used them, with many citing privacy risks and lack of trust as reasons for hesitation.
Technology companies are facing increasing scrutiny from regulators worldwide. In the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enforces strict privacy standards, while the United States is adopting state-level data protection laws.
Apple has encouraged users to review and adjust Siri’s data-sharing settings to align with their privacy preferences. Users can opt out of sharing Siri recordings with Apple or delete past interactions through their device settings.
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