Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jul 15, 2025

Apple, Google, Amazon spying on you, lawsuits claim

Apple, Google, Amazon spying on you, lawsuits claim

All 3 tech companies have voice assistant features and claim that they do not retain the user's conversations

Big Tech is listening to your private discussions, lawsuits claim. Should you be worried?

A federal judge has given a green light for a class-action lawsuit claiming that Apple's Siri voice assistant violates users’ privacy.

Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White said the plaintiffs would be allowed to move forward with lawsuits trying to prove that Siri routinely recorded their private conversations because of "accidental activations" and that Apple provided the conversations to advertisers, according to Reuters. The plaintiffs claim that Apple violated the federal Wiretap Act and California privacy law, among other claims.


Separate lawsuits against Google and Amazon make similar claims about voice assistants. One of the most common claims cited in the lawsuits is that conversations were recorded without user consent and then used by advertisers to target the plaintiffs.


This is happening against a backdrop of surging smart speaker sales.

As of June 2021, the installed base of smart speakers in the U.S. reached 126 million units, jumping from 20 million units in June 2017, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).

Amazon has the biggest slice of the installed base, with 69% as of June of this year.


"The installed base of smart speakers grew considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding over 25 million units in the past year," said Josh Lowitz, CIRP Partner and Co-Founder in a statement.

Should you be worried? How to protect yourself


Amazon, Apple and Google all offer smart speakers that use variations of voice assistant technology that is activated when users say key words such as "Hey Siri" for Apple devices or "OK Google" for Google products or "Alexa" for Amazon smart devices.

Amazon devices store that data when activated with a key word or so-called wake word. "No audio is stored or sent to the cloud unless the device detects the wake word (or Alexa is activated by pressing a button)," an Amazon spokesperson told FOX Business in an email.

"Customers have several options to manage their recordings, including the option to not have their recordings saved at all and the ability to automatically delete recordings on an ongoing three- or 18-month basis," the spokesperson added.

If you don’t want to be recorded by Alexa, in the Alexa app go into the "Privacy" menu. Then go to "Manage your Alexa data" then "Choose how long to save recordings." Then select "Don’t save recordings."

Amazon collects and uses voice recordings to deliver and improve services, according to the company. This includes helping train Alexa to better understand different accents and dialects and to provide the right response to requests.

Amazon also said it "manually" reviews data but does not sell it to third parties.

"To help improve Alexa, we manually review and annotate a small fraction of one percent of Alexa requests. Access to human review tools is only granted to employees who require them to improve the service," the Amazon spokesperson said.

"Our annotation process does not associate voice recordings with any customer identifiable information. Customers can opt-out of having their voice recordings included in the fraction of one percent of voice recordings that get reviewed," the spokesperson said.

By default, Google doesn’t retain your audio recordings, José Castañeda, a Google Spokesperson, told Fox Business. "We dispute the claims in this case and will vigorously defend ourselves," Castañeda said in a statement.

However, if you want to confirm that the Google setting is off, go to your Google account and then to "Data and Privacy" then "Web & App Activity" and make sure the box is unchecked next to "Include audio recordings." The default setting is unchecked.

Apple no longer retains Siri recordings without user permission, according to an Apple statement made in 2019. Siri will only retain your data if you choose to opt-in via settings on Apple devices.

Amazon would not comment on the lawsuit, and Apple has yet to respond to a request for comment.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
×