Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit. The lawsuit said Apple listened to people using Siri without asking first. It also claimed Apple shared these recordings with advertisers. Apple says it did nothing wrong but will delete old Siri recordings.

A woman named Fumiko Lopez said Apple recorded her and her daughter without permission. She said they got ads based on what they talked about. People in the U.S. who had Siri devices from 2014 to 2019 might get up to $20 each. Lawyers could get around $30 million for their work on the case.

By settling, Apple avoids a big court trial. Trials can be risky and cost more money. Apple has faced other lawsuits before, like one about slowing down iPhones. There’s also a similar case against Google for listening to users.

Original news source: Apple to pay $95m to settle Siri ‘listening’ lawsuit (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– CHARADES
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns acting out words or phrases related to the article (e.g., “lawsuit,” “settle,” “Siri,” “advertisers”). The other groups will guess the word or phrase being acted out. This will help students learn vocabulary in a fun and engaging way.

– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Create a simple survey with questions related to privacy and technology (e.g., “Do you think companies should listen to users’ conversations?” or “Is it okay for companies to share your data with advertisers?”). Students will walk around the classroom asking their classmates these questions and tallying the responses. Afterward, discuss the results as a class.

– MIND MAP
Instructions: On a whiteboard or large paper, draw a central circle with the word “Apple” in it. Students will brainstorm and add related words or phrases from the article (like “lawsuit,” “Siri,” “privacy,” etc.) branching out from the center. This will help students visualize connections and improve vocabulary retention.

– HEADLINE CREATION
Instructions: Ask students to create a catchy headline for the article. They can work individually or in pairs. After they come up with their headlines, have a few students share their creations with the class. This will encourage creativity and improve their summarization skills.

– PAS THE STORY
Instructions: Start a story with one sentence related to the article (e.g., “Apple listened to people without asking”). Each student will add one sentence to the story, building on what the previous person said. This activity promotes speaking skills and encourages students to think creatively while practicing sentence structure.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. How much money did Apple agree to pay to settle the lawsuit?

2. What did the lawsuit say Apple did without asking people first?

3. Who is Fumiko Lopez and what did she say about Apple?

4. How much money might people in the U.S. get if they had Siri devices from 2014 to 2019?

5. Why does Apple want to settle the lawsuit instead of going to court?

6. What is one other lawsuit that Apple has faced before this one?

7. Who else is facing a similar case like Apple?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

(1)______ agreed to pay $95 million to settle a (2)______. The lawsuit said Apple listened to people using (3)______ without asking first. It also claimed Apple shared these recordings with advertisers. Apple says it did nothing wrong but will delete old Siri recordings.

A woman (4)______ Fumiko (5)______ said Apple recorded her and her daughter without permission. She said they got ads (6)______ on what they talked about. (7)______ in the U.S. who had Siri devices from 2014 to 2019 might get up to $20 each. (8)______ could get around $30 million for their work on the case.

By (9)______, Apple avoids a big court trial. Trials can be risky and cost (10)______ money. Apple has faced (11)______ lawsuits before, like one about slowing down iPhones. There’s also a similar case against (12)______ for listening to users.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is your favorite way to listen to music?
2. How would you feel if someone listened to your phone conversations without asking?
3. Do you think it is important to ask for permission before recording someone? Why?
4. Have you ever used Siri or another voice assistant? Do you like it?
5. What is a privacy issue? Can you give an example?
6. Do you think companies should pay people if they do something wrong? Why or why not?
7. How would you feel if you received money for something you didn’t expect?
8. Do you think it’s okay for companies to share your information with advertisers? Why or why not?
9. What do you think about Apple deleting old recordings? Is it a good idea?
10. Have you ever heard about other companies having problems like Apple? What happened?
11. Do you think lawyers should get a lot of money for their work? Why or why not?
12. How would you feel if you were in Fumiko Lopez’s situation?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. settle
2. lawsuit
3. recordings
4. advertisers
5. permission
6. devices
7. trial
8. risky
9. faced
10. slowing
11. similar
12. users

Meanings:
(A) Approval to do something
(B) People or companies that promote products
(C) Dangerous or could cause problems
(D) Sounds or voices saved for later listening
(E) Making something move or work less fast
(F) A formal meeting in court to decide a case
(G) To agree on something to end a disagreement
(H) Tools or machines, like phones or tablets
(I) People who use something, like a service or product
(J) A legal case brought to a court
(K) Dealt with or handled a situation
(L) Almost the same as something else
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How much money did Apple agree to pay to settle the lawsuit?
(a) $95 million
(b) $50 million
(c) $30 million
(d) $100 million

2. What did the lawsuit claim Apple did without asking?
(a) Sold iPhones
(b) Made new apps
(c) Listened to people using Siri
(d) Shared music

3. Who is Fumiko Lopez?
(a) A lawyer for Apple
(b) A woman who said Apple recorded her
(c) An Apple employee
(d) A famous singer

4. How much money could people with Siri devices get?
(a) Up to $50 each
(b) Up to $10 each
(c) Up to $20 each
(d) Up to $100 each

5. What will Apple do with old Siri recordings?
(a) Delete them
(b) Keep them forever
(c) Share them with others
(d) Sell them

6. Why did Apple settle the lawsuit?
(a) Because they were guilty
(b) To avoid a big court trial
(c) To make more money
(d) To make new products

7. What was one of the other lawsuits Apple faced?
(a) About making new computers
(b) About selling music
(c) About creating games
(d) About slowing down iPhones

8. Who else has a similar case like Apple’s?
(a) Microsoft
(b) Amazon
(c) Facebook
(d) Google

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Apple has faced other lawsuits in the past, including one about slowing down iPhones.
2. Apple will pay $100 million to settle a lawsuit.
3. Lawyers could earn about $10 million for their work on this case.
4. People in the U.S. who used Siri from 2014 to 2019 might get up to $10.
5. The lawsuit says Apple listened to people using Siri without permission.
6. Apple is accused of sharing recordings with advertisers.
7. Fumiko Lopez says they received ads based on their browsing history.
8. A woman named Fumiko Lopez claims Apple recorded her and her daughter.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Check your writing now with the best free AI for English writing!

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
Check your answers with our free English writing assistant!

1. What did Apple agree to pay to settle the lawsuit?
2. What did the lawsuit say Apple did with Siri recordings?
3. Who is Fumiko Lopez and what did she say happened to her?
4. How much money might people in the U.S. get if they had Siri devices from 2014 to 2019?
5. Why did Apple decide to settle the lawsuit instead of going to court?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. How much money did Apple agree to pay to settle the lawsuit?
Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle the lawsuit.

2. What did the lawsuit say Apple did without asking people first?
The lawsuit said Apple listened to people using Siri without asking first.

3. Who is Fumiko Lopez and what did she say about Apple?
Fumiko Lopez is a woman who said Apple recorded her and her daughter without permission.

4. How much money might people in the U.S. get if they had Siri devices from 2014 to 2019?
People in the U.S. might get up to $20 each if they had Siri devices from 2014 to 2019.

5. Why does Apple want to settle the lawsuit instead of going to court?
Apple wants to settle the lawsuit to avoid a big court trial, which can be risky and cost more money.

6. What is one other lawsuit that Apple has faced before this one?
One other lawsuit Apple faced was about slowing down iPhones.

7. Who else is facing a similar case like Apple?
Google is also facing a similar case for listening to users.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Apple
(2) lawsuit
(3) Siri
(4) named
(5) Lopez
(6) based
(7) People
(8) Lawyers
(9) settling
(10) more
(11) other
(12) Google
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. settle
Answer: (G) To agree on something to end a disagreement

2. lawsuit
Answer: (J) A legal case brought to a court

3. recordings
Answer: (D) Sounds or voices saved for later listening

4. advertisers
Answer: (B) People or companies that promote products

5. permission
Answer: (A) Approval to do something

6. devices
Answer: (H) Tools or machines, like phones or tablets

7. trial
Answer: (F) A formal meeting in court to decide a case

8. risky
Answer: (C) Dangerous or could cause problems

9. faced
Answer: (K) Dealt with or handled a situation

10. slowing
Answer: (E) Making something move or work less fast

11. similar
Answer: (L) Almost the same as something else

12. users
Answer: (I) People who use something, like a service or product
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. How much money did Apple agree to pay to settle the lawsuit?
Answer: (a) $95 million

2. What did the lawsuit claim Apple did without asking?
Answer: (c) Listened to people using Siri

3. Who is Fumiko Lopez?
Answer: (b) A woman who said Apple recorded her

4. How much money could people with Siri devices get?
Answer: (c) Up to $20 each

5. What will Apple do with old Siri recordings?
Answer: (a) Delete them

6. Why did Apple settle the lawsuit?
Answer: (b) To avoid a big court trial

7. What was one of the other lawsuits Apple faced?
Answer: (d) About slowing down iPhones

8. Who else has a similar case like Apple’s?
Answer: (d) Google
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Apple has faced other lawsuits in the past, including one about slowing down iPhones. (Answer: True)
2. Apple will pay $100 million to settle a lawsuit. (Answer: False)
3. Lawyers could earn about $10 million for their work on this case. (Answer: False)
4. People in the U.S. who used Siri from 2014 to 2019 might get up to $10. (Answer: False)
5. The lawsuit says Apple listened to people using Siri without permission. (Answer: True)
6. Apple is accused of sharing recordings with advertisers. (Answer: True)
7. Fumiko Lopez says they received ads based on their browsing history. (Answer: False)
8. A woman named Fumiko Lopez claims Apple recorded her and her daughter. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧