On Jan. 2nd, just two days into 2025 the internationally renowned technology company, Apple, agreed on a settlement to pay 95 million dollars to resolve the claims that the company’s Siri voice-activated devices violated their consumer’s privacy. The settlement will potentially benefit tens of millions of consumers who own or previously owned a Siri-equipped device from Sept. 17, 2014 to the present.
Before the settlement, when the first claims of the lawsuit started, Apple had originally placed blame on the plaintiffs for not alleging the specific contents of their communications. Apple had claimed that this could be done in every phone product of theirs by simply placing it on a privacy setting. However, the plaintiffs continued to push forward, claiming that Apple was selling their data producing consumer ads and Apple had eventually agreed to settle.
“My dad owns a Siri and I think it might be selling my data but I know that it is definitely always listening to me and that it is very very creepy,” sophomore Abigail Dawson said.
Similarly, a class action lawsuit had been filed against Amazon in January of 2025 claiming that the company uses its Amazon Alexa device to improperly capture and store the biometric data of its users. This has left rumors about Google’s Gemini 2.0, which functions very similar to Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, being subjected to a similar lawsuit after its release date in Jan. 23, 2025. The advertisements for the device have suggested that Gemini 2.0 might be artificial intelligence and claim that you can speak to it about your feelings and it will respond in a human-like way.
“If you want to buy Gemini then buy it, but I’m staying far away from it if it’s an actual A.I. talking to me,” sophomore Athen Cranias said.
The new era of technology has come about and the questions of our rights have been thrown into question with frightening new possibilities. These lawsuits are a symbol of change and whether we can maintain it. The question that currently remains; is the terrifying post-apocalyptic universe that has been a subject of fantasy for so long not a fantasy anymore?
“I’ve never really thought about Siri selling my data or A.I. being implemented on my phone but I know that the technological age is approaching fast and I hope that we will be able to adapt to its possibilities and threats,” social studies teacher Miss. Ungrady said.
