Apple must face Siri voice assistant privacy lawsuit -U.S. judge

FILE PHOTO: An Apple logo hangs above the entrance to the Apple store on 5th Avenue in the Manhattan borough of New York City, July 21, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

(Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday said Apple Inc must face nearly all of a proposed class action lawsuit claiming that its voice-activated Siri assistant violates users' privacy.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White said the plaintiffs could try to prove Siri routinely recorded their private conversations because of "accidental activations," and that Apple disclosed these conversations to third parties, such as advertisers.