Apple Clarifies Its Stance on Siri Data Usage

New Delhi, Jan 9 (NationPress) Apple confirmed on Thursday that it has never utilized Siri data for the purpose of creating marketing profiles, has never made it available for advertising, and has not sold it to any entity for any reason.

Recently, the technology leader agreed to a settlement of $95 million in a class-action lawsuit that claimed it recorded users' private conversations with Siri and shared these discussions with third parties, including advertisers.

In a statement, the company emphasized, "We are consistently innovating technologies to enhance Siri's privacy, and we will uphold this commitment."

Apple further asserted that it is dedicated to safeguarding user data, stating, "Our products and features are constructed from the ground up with cutting-edge privacy technologies and methodologies."

They explained, "Privacy is a core aspect of the design process, guided by principles such as data minimization, on-device intelligence, transparency and user control, along with robust security measures that collectively offer users remarkable experiences and peace of mind."

To ensure user privacy, Siri is engineered to perform as much processing as feasible directly on the user's device, facilitating personalized interactions without the need to transfer and analyze sensitive information on Apple servers.

Apple elaborated, "When a user communicates with Siri, their request is handled on the device whenever it is possible. For instance, if a user requests Siri to read unread messages, or when Siri gives suggestions through widgets and search functions, the processing takes place on the user's device."

While Apple strives to handle tasks on-device, some features necessitate real-time data from Apple servers.

"In such scenarios, Siri minimizes data usage to provide an accurate response. Siri searches and requests are not linked to your Apple Account," the company noted.

Moreover, Apple clarified that it does not keep audio recordings of Siri interactions unless users explicitly choose to do so to enhance Siri's functionality, and even in those cases, the recordings are utilized solely for that purpose.

"Users have the option to easily opt out at any moment," the company concluded.