Apple must face claim that Siri violates privacy, US judge says

White ruled that the plaintiffs had adequately alleged that their privacy was violated by ‘accidental activations’ when the user neither intends nor expects Siri to be ‘listening’ and recording voice conversations. — Unsplash

A US federal judge allowed a lawsuit against Apple Inc to proceed with a claim that its Siri voice assistant violates users’ privacy, but he dismissed part of the complaint under California’s Unfair Competition Law.

US District Judge Jeffrey White in Oakland on Thursday ruled that the plaintiffs had adequately alleged that their privacy was violated by “accidental activations” when the user neither intends nor expects Siri to be “listening” and recording voice conversations. But the judge said the suit did not show users suffered any economic harm, a necessary element of their claim under the UCL that Apple deceptively marketed the voice assistant.