New Delhi: Apple has vehemently denied allegations that it uses user conversations captured by its voice assistant, Siri, for targeted advertising. This clarification comes amidst a $95 million settlement reached last week with users whose conversations were potentially overheard by human employees during quality assurance checks.
The initial reports, which surfaced in 2019, revealed that human contractors reviewing anonymized Siri recordings occasionally encountered sensitive personal conversations while assessing the accuracy of the voice assistant’s activation. While the settlement addresses this privacy concern, it does not imply that Apple engaged in the sale of user data for marketing purposes.
In a statement released Wednesday evening, Apple emphasized that it does not retain audio recordings of Siri interactions unless users explicitly opt-in to assist in improving the voice assistant’s functionality. Even with user consent, the company maintains that these recordings are solely used for research and development purposes. Apple further clarified that users have the ability to easily opt-out of this data collection at any time.
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It’s important to note that ad targeting networks employ various methods to gather user data, including tracking individuals logged onto the same network or those who have visited specific locations. This means that even if an individual has not directly searched for a particular term, their online activity might still be used for targeted advertising due to the interconnected nature of online data.
Furthermore, these networks often acquire data from third-party brokers who collect extensive location tracking and other personal information from mobile applications. Tech giants like Google and Facebook are known to leverage data gathered from various sources to create comprehensive user profiles based on their purchasing habits and other personal information.
While the recent lawsuit settlement highlights the importance of user privacy and data security, Apple’s denial of using Siri data for ad targeting underscores the company’s commitment to protecting user information.
