Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit that claimed the company listened to users without their permission through Siri, its virtual assistant. The lawsuit accused Apple of eavesdropping on customers and sharing their voice recordings with advertisers. Even though Apple hasn’t admitted to doing anything wrong, this settlement helps them avoid a long court fight that could have cost them even more money.

The lawsuit was started by a woman named Fumiko Lopez, who said that she and her daughter were recorded without knowing it while using Siri. They noticed that they started getting ads for things they had talked about, like Air Jordans. The plaintiffs argued that Siri sometimes turned on by itself, capturing conversations without the users saying “Hey, Siri” to start it.

In the settlement, Apple denied the claims, saying they did not record or share conversations without permission. They also mentioned that they deleted all individual Siri audio recordings made before October 2019. Despite this, the plaintiffs still believe that the recordings were used to target ads, which raises concerns about privacy and whether users really gave their consent.

This class-action lawsuit allows a small group of people to represent many others who were affected. If the settlement is approved, each person in the U.S. could get up to $20 for each Siri-enabled device they owned between 2014 and 2019. The lawyers involved in the case could receive nearly $30 million in legal fees, which is about 30% of the total settlement plus other costs. Apple has faced other lawsuits recently, including one for slowing down iPhones and another for overcharging on its iCloud service, showing that privacy issues are a big concern in the tech world.

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

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– CHARADES
Instructions: Students will act out the key terms from the article (e.g., “Siri,” “lawsuit,” “settlement”) without speaking, while their classmates guess the word or phrase being acted out. This will help reinforce vocabulary related to the article.

– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Students will discuss in small groups whether they believe companies like Apple should be allowed to use voice recordings for advertising purposes. After a few minutes, each group will present their conclusions to the class, encouraging critical thinking and spoken expression.

– MIND MAP
Instructions: In pairs, students will create a mind map that visually represents the key points of the article, including the lawsuit, the plaintiffs, Apple’s response, and the implications for privacy. They will then share their maps with another pair to compare and discuss.

– HEADLINE CREATION
Instructions: Students will work in groups to come up with catchy headlines for the article. Each group will then present their headline to the class, explaining why they chose it and how it reflects the main ideas of the article.

– TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE
Instructions: Each student will come up with two true statements and one false statement related to the article’s content (for example, about the lawsuit or Apple’s actions). They will then share these with a partner, who will guess which statement is the lie. This activity will encourage comprehension and critical thinking about the details of the article.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What was the main reason behind the lawsuit against Apple regarding Siri?
2. Who initiated the lawsuit and what specific experience did she share about using Siri?
3. What did the plaintiffs claim about Siri’s ability to record conversations?
4. How did Apple respond to the accusations made in the lawsuit?
5. What is the maximum amount of money that each affected person in the U.S. could receive if the settlement is approved?
6. How much money could the lawyers involved in the case potentially earn from the settlement?
7. What other legal issues has Apple faced recently, according to the article?
8. Why do you think privacy concerns are significant in the technology industry?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit that claimed the company listened to users without their permission through Siri, its (1)______ assistant. The lawsuit accused Apple of (2)______ on customers and sharing their voice recordings with advertisers. Even though Apple hasn’t admitted to doing anything (3)______, this settlement helps them (4)______ a long court fight that could have cost them even more money.

The lawsuit was started by a (5)______ named (6)______ Lopez, who said that she and her daughter were recorded without knowing it while using Siri. They (7)______ that they started getting ads for things they had talked about, like Air Jordans. The plaintiffs argued that Siri sometimes turned on by itself, capturing conversations without the users saying “Hey, Siri” to start it.

In the settlement, (8)______ denied the claims, saying they did not record or share conversations without permission. They also mentioned that they (9)______ all individual Siri audio (10)______ made before October 2019. Despite this, the plaintiffs still believe that the recordings were used to target ads, which raises concerns about privacy and whether users really gave their consent.

This class-action lawsuit allows a (11)______ group of people to represent many others who were affected. If the (12)______ is approved, each person in the U.S. could get up to $20 for each Siri-enabled (13)______ they (14)______ between 2014 and 2019. The lawyers involved in the case could receive nearly $30 million in legal fees, which is about 30% of the total settlement plus other costs. Apple has faced other lawsuits recently, including one for slowing down iPhones and another for overcharging on its iCloud service, showing that privacy (15)______ are a big (16)______ in the tech world.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is your opinion on companies listening to users without their permission?
2. How would you feel if you discovered your conversations were being recorded without your knowledge?
3. Do you think it’s fair for Apple to settle the lawsuit without admitting any wrongdoing? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever noticed receiving ads for things you talked about? How did that make you feel?
5. What is a virtual assistant, and do you think they are helpful or invasive? Why?
6. How would you react if your voice recordings were shared with advertisers?
7. Do you think people should be more aware of their privacy when using technology? Why?
8. Have you ever experienced a situation where you felt your privacy was violated? What happened?
9. What is your opinion on class-action lawsuits? Do you think they are effective in helping people?
10. How would you feel if you received money from a lawsuit settlement like this one?
11. Do you think technology companies should be more transparent about how they use user data? Why or why not?
12. What is a privacy concern you have about technology today?
13. How do you feel about the idea of artificial intelligence listening to people’s conversations?
14. Do you think people should be more cautious about using smart devices like Siri? Why?
15. What do you think could be done to improve user privacy in technology?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. lawsuit
2. eavesdropping
3. settlement
4. advertisers
5. plaintiffs
6. capturing
7. consent
8. class-action
9. represent
10. approved
11. legal fees
12. privacy
13. concerns
14. device
15. overcharging

Meanings:
(A) A legal case brought to court
(B) People or companies that promote products
(C) A tool or machine, like a phone or computer
(D) Charging too much money for something
(E) Worries or issues that need attention
(F) People who bring a case to court
(G) Taking or recording something
(H) Secretly listening to someone’s conversation
(I) Money paid to lawyers for their services
(J) To act or speak on behalf of someone
(K) The right to keep personal information secret
(L) Officially accepted or agreed upon
(M) A lawsuit where a few people speak for many
(N) Permission or agreement
(O) An agreement to resolve a dispute
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How much has Apple agreed to pay to settle the lawsuit?
(a) $50 million
(b) $95 million
(c) $120 million
(d) $75 million

2. Who started the lawsuit against Apple?
(a) Sarah Johnson
(b) Fumiko Lopez
(c) Michael Smith
(d) Emily Davis

3. What did the lawsuit claim Apple did without users’ permission?
(a) Sold user data
(b) Hacked user accounts
(c) Increased device prices
(d) Listened to users

4. What did the plaintiffs argue about Siri’s functionality?
(a) It worked only with voice commands
(b) It was always listening
(c) It had no privacy settings
(d) It sometimes turned on by itself

5. What amount could each person in the U.S. potentially receive from the settlement?
(a) Up to $50
(b) Up to $10
(c) Up to $20
(d) Up to $30

6. What percentage of the total settlement could the lawyers receive in fees?
(a) About 30%
(b) About 20%
(c) About 40%
(d) About 10%

7. What other issues has Apple faced lawsuits for recently?
(a) Selling user data and battery issues
(b) Manufacturing defects and warranty claims
(c) Slowing down iPhones and overcharging for iCloud
(d) Unauthorized app downloads and security breaches

8. What did Apple do with individual Siri audio recordings made before October 2019?
(a) Deleted them
(b) Sold them to advertisers
(c) Shared them with other companies
(d) Kept them for future use

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit regarding Siri.
2. The plaintiffs argued that Siri could not turn on by itself and capture conversations.
3. Fumiko Lopez initiated the lawsuit after noticing that she and her daughter were recorded while using Siri.
4. Apple has faced other lawsuits related to privacy and service issues recently.
5. The lawsuit claimed that Apple listened to users without their permission.
6. The settlement could provide up to $20 for each Siri-enabled device owned by users between 2014 and 2019.
7. Lawyers involved in the case could receive less than $30 million in fees.
8. Apple admitted the claims and stated they did record or share conversations without consent.
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 the lawsuit against Apple claim about Siri and user privacy?
2. Who started the lawsuit and what did she say happened to her and her daughter?
3. How much money will Apple pay to settle the lawsuit, and what could individuals receive if the settlement is approved?
4. What does Apple say about the claims made in the lawsuit regarding recording conversations?
5. Why are privacy issues important in the technology industry, according to the article?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What was the main reason behind the lawsuit against Apple regarding Siri?
The main reason behind the lawsuit was the claim that Apple listened to users without their permission through Siri and shared their voice recordings with advertisers.

2. Who initiated the lawsuit and what specific experience did she share about using Siri?
The lawsuit was initiated by Fumiko Lopez, who shared that she and her daughter were recorded without knowing it while using Siri, and they started receiving ads for things they had talked about.

3. What did the plaintiffs claim about Siri’s ability to record conversations?
The plaintiffs claimed that Siri sometimes turned on by itself, capturing conversations without the users saying “Hey, Siri” to activate it.

4. How did Apple respond to the accusations made in the lawsuit?
Apple denied the accusations, stating that they did not record or share conversations without permission and mentioned that they deleted all individual Siri audio recordings made before October 2019.

5. What is the maximum amount of money that each affected person in the U.S. could receive if the settlement is approved?
Each affected person in the U.S. could receive up to $20 for each Siri-enabled device they owned between 2014 and 2019 if the settlement is approved.

6. How much money could the lawyers involved in the case potentially earn from the settlement?
The lawyers involved in the case could potentially earn nearly $30 million in legal fees, which is about 30% of the total settlement plus other costs.

7. What other legal issues has Apple faced recently, according to the article?
According to the article, Apple has faced other lawsuits for slowing down iPhones and for overcharging on its iCloud service.

8. Why do you think privacy concerns are significant in the technology industry?
Privacy concerns are significant in the technology industry because users want to feel safe and secure about their personal information and how it is being used by companies.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) virtual
(2) eavesdropping
(3) wrong
(4) avoid
(5) woman
(6) Fumiko
(7) noticed
(8) Apple
(9) deleted
(10) recordings
(11) small
(12) settlement
(13) device
(14) owned
(15) issues
(16) concern
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. lawsuit
Answer: (A) A legal case brought to court

2. eavesdropping
Answer: (H) Secretly listening to someone’s conversation

3. settlement
Answer: (O) An agreement to resolve a dispute

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

5. plaintiffs
Answer: (F) People who bring a case to court

6. capturing
Answer: (G) Taking or recording something

7. consent
Answer: (N) Permission or agreement

8. class-action
Answer: (M) A lawsuit where a few people speak for many

9. represent
Answer: (J) To act or speak on behalf of someone

10. approved
Answer: (L) Officially accepted or agreed upon

11. legal fees
Answer: (I) Money paid to lawyers for their services

12. privacy
Answer: (K) The right to keep personal information secret

13. concerns
Answer: (E) Worries or issues that need attention

14. device
Answer: (C) A tool or machine, like a phone or computer

15. overcharging
Answer: (D) Charging too much money for something
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. How much has Apple agreed to pay to settle the lawsuit?
Answer: (b) $95 million

2. Who started the lawsuit against Apple?
Answer: (b) Fumiko Lopez

3. What did the lawsuit claim Apple did without users’ permission?
Answer: (d) Listened to users

4. What did the plaintiffs argue about Siri’s functionality?
Answer: (d) It sometimes turned on by itself

5. What amount could each person in the U.S. potentially receive from the settlement?
Answer: (c) Up to $20

6. What percentage of the total settlement could the lawyers receive in fees?
Answer: (a) About 30%

7. What other issues has Apple faced lawsuits for recently?
Answer: (c) Slowing down iPhones and overcharging for iCloud

8. What did Apple do with individual Siri audio recordings made before October 2019?
Answer: (a) Deleted them
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit regarding Siri. (Answer: True)
2. The plaintiffs argued that Siri could not turn on by itself and capture conversations. (Answer: False)
3. Fumiko Lopez initiated the lawsuit after noticing that she and her daughter were recorded while using Siri. (Answer: True)
4. Apple has faced other lawsuits related to privacy and service issues recently. (Answer: True)
5. The lawsuit claimed that Apple listened to users without their permission. (Answer: False)
6. The settlement could provide up to $20 for each Siri-enabled device owned by users between 2014 and 2019. (Answer: True)
7. Lawyers involved in the case could receive less than $30 million in fees. (Answer: False)
8. Apple admitted the claims and stated they did record or share conversations without consent. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧