Apple says it has never sold data from Siri conversations to advertisers

Apple issued an official statement reaffirming its commitment to the privacy of user interactions with Siri, emphasizing that it did not provide data from the voice assistant to advertisers or sell it to anyone.

«Apple has never used Siri data to create marketing profiles, has never made it available for advertising, and has never sold it to anyone for any purpose. We are constantly developing technologies to make the voice assistant even more private, and will continue to do so,” the company said in a statement.

Apple’s announcement comes after it settled a Siri-related class action lawsuit for $95 million. Plaintiffs accused Apple of recording conversations resulting from accidental activations of the virtual assistant and then distributing information from those conversations to third-party advertisers.

Some plaintiffs alleged that after mentioning brands such as Air Jordan, Easton bats, Pit Viper and Olive Garden in conversation, they were shown advertisements for related products on Apple devices. Another plaintiff said he was sent an advertisement for surgical treatment after discussing the matter privately with his doctor.

Earlier this week, Apple explained to MacRumors that the lawsuit was settled to avoid additional litigation.

In its statement, Apple said it “does not store audio recordings of interactions with the voice assistant unless users explicitly agree to help improve Siri, and even then, the recordings are used solely for that purpose. Users can easily opt out at any time.” Apple also emphasized that search queries and calls to Siri are not associated with an Apple account and cannot be used to identify a specific user.