France's Human Rights Group Accuses Apple of Violating Privacy Laws
France's leading human rights organization, Ligue des droits de l'Homme (LDH), has filed a complaint against Apple for allegedly violating privacy laws and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The move comes after reports emerged that Siri, Apple's virtual assistant, collects voice recordings of users without their consent.
Complaint Filed Over Invasion of Privacy and GDPR Violations
The complaint was filed with the Paris prosecutor on Thursday, February 13, 2025. It centers around allegations that Siri collects personal data from users' conversations without their knowledge or consent. The LDH claims that Apple's practices go against EU data protection laws.
Former Employee Speaks Out Over Apple's Data Collection Practices
A former employee of Globe Technical Services (GTS), Thomas Le Bonniec, shared his experiences working on improving Siri's multilingual chatbot response. He revealed that he and his colleagues were instructed to listen to private conversations triggered by mistake during their work on the project.
Le Bonniec stated that some team members were tasked with labeling duties, which involved comparing keywords spoken during recordings and relating them to personal data stored on devices. This practice, according to Le Bonniec, raised concerns about informed consent and GDPR compliance.
LDH President Speaks Out Against Apple's Practices
Nathalie Tehio, president of the LDH, condemned Apple's practices as "an infraction" that involves recording users' conversations without their knowledge. She emphasized that this invasion of privacy is compounded by the unauthorized collection and processing of personal data.
Tehio also highlighted the failure to obtain informed consent from users for the collection and use of their personal data. This, she argued, constitutes a clear breach of GDPR principles.
Apple Responds to Allegations
Apple has responded to the allegations by stating that it made changes in 2019 to ensure Siri's compliance with its privacy commitment. The company claims that users can opt-in or opt-out of allowing Siri to improve by learning from audio samples of their requests.
According to Apple, it does not use Siri data for advertising purposes and has never sold user data to third parties. The company asserts its ongoing efforts to develop technologies that make Siri even more private.
What's Next?
The outcome of the LDH complaint remains uncertain at this stage. However, Apple is currently dealing with a similar class-action lawsuit in California over allegations that Siri discloses private conversations to advertisers.
The settlement of the California lawsuit for $95 million has raised questions about its potential impact on the company's bottom line. As Big Tech continues to face regulatory scrutiny and mounting fines, it remains to be seen how Apple will address these concerns.