Apple Privacy
A chronological list of major privacy-related lawsuits involving Apple, particularly focused on iOS and user data practices:
2019–2025: Siri Privacy Lawsuit (Lopez v. Apple Inc.)
Allegation: Apple’s Siri-enabled devices recorded private conversations without user consent — even without the “Hey Siri” trigger.
Details: Recordings included sensitive medical, business, and personal discussions. These were allegedly sent to Apple servers and reviewed by contractors.
Outcome: Apple agreed to a $95 million settlement in 2025. Eligible users could claim up to $20 per device.
2022–2024: Apple Data Privacy Litigation
Allegation: Apple collected user data through its proprietary apps (App Store, Music, TV, etc.) even when users disabled tracking settings.
Details: Plaintiffs argued Apple violated privacy laws by ignoring “Share Analytics” and “Allow Apps to Request to Track” settings.
Status: A federal judge allowed parts of the case to proceed, especially those tied to the “Share Analytics” setting.
2022–2023: Tracking Scandal Class Actions
Allegation: Apple tracked users via first-party apps despite privacy settings being turned off.
Details: More than a dozen class actions were filed after researchers found Apple’s apps sent detailed usage data back to Apple.
Impact: Raised questions about Apple’s “Privacy. That’s iPhone.” marketing claims.
2024: Apple Employee Privacy Lawsuit (California PAGA)
Allegation: Apple allegedly monitored employees via personal devices and suppressed speech about compensation and working conditions.
Details: Claims included surveillance of geolocation and personal photos, violating labor and privacy laws.
Status: Filed under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA).
2021–2025: Siri Voice Assistant Class Action (EU & US)
Allegation: Siri recorded conversations due to accidental activations and shared data with third-party contractors.
Details: Apple proposed a settlement including deletion of unlawfully collected data and symbolic compensation.
Regulatory Commentary: The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) criticized Apple’s practices under GDPR.
Summary
Data Sharing with Law Enforcement: Apple has complied with thousands of data requests from U.S. law enforcement, including handing over sensitive user data.
Inconsistent Privacy Protections: Studies have shown that Apple’s own apps (e.g., Siri, Safari, iMessage) collect data even when users believe they’ve disabled tracking.
Advanced Data Protection Limitations: While Apple introduced end-to-end encryption for iCloud, the feature is not enabled by default and excludes certain data types like Contacts and Calendars.
Google Privacy
$425 Million Privacy Verdict (2025)
A federal jury in San Francisco ordered Google to pay $425.7 million for improperly tracking smartphone activity from 2016 to 2024, even when users had turned off tracking features. The class-action lawsuit covered 98 million smartphones and alleged that Google violated California privacy laws by collecting data to sell targeted ads without user consent. Google denied wrongdoing and plans to appeal, claiming users had control over their data.
$314 Million Android Data Privacy Lawsuit (2025)
A jury in San Jose, California, found Google liable for collecting data from idle Android devices without user permission. The lawsuit, filed in 2019, represented 14 million Californians and claimed Google used the data for advertising, consuming users’ cellular data.
$1.4 Billion Settlement with Texas (2025)
Google agreed to pay $1.375 billion to settle allegations of violating Texas privacy laws, including collecting geolocation, incognito search data, and biometric information without proper consent.
Incognito Mode Lawsuit Settlement (2024)
Google agreed to destroy billions of data records collected from users who believed they were browsing privately in Incognito mode. The lawsuit alleged that Google continued tracking users even when they used private browsing features.
$806 Million in Combined Penalties (2025)
Google was fined $425 million in the U.S. and €325 million (~$381 million) by France’s CNIL for deceptive privacy practices. The French penalty was related to manipulating cookie consent and inserting ads in Gmail without proper user approval.
Timeline of Google Spying & Privacy Violations
2019
Google Home & Nest Devices: Human contractors were found to be reviewing audio clips from Google Home and Nest devices, including private conversations, without users’ knowledge. Devices were triggered accidentally by sounds resembling “Hey Google,” leading to unintended recordings.
Dutch Investigation: A report by VRT NWS revealed that Google subcontractors listened to sensitive conversations, including domestic disputes and private bedroom talks, recorded by Google Home devices.
2020–2023
Google Assistant Class Action Lawsuit: Filed in California, alleging that Google Assistant recorded conversations without consent, even when users didn’t activate it. A class was certified for users who bought Google-made devices.
Google’s Internal Database Leak: A leak revealed thousands of privacy violations, including recording children’s voices, saving license plates from Street View, and leaking home addresses and deleted YouTube history.
2024
Cloud Contact Center AI Lawsuit: Google’s AI-powered customer service tool allegedly eavesdropped on phone calls, recorded conversations, and used them to train AI models without informing users. Plaintiffs argue this violates California’s wiretapping laws.
2025
$425 Million Verdict: A federal jury found Google guilty of collecting data from users who had turned off tracking features. The data was used for targeted advertising, violating California privacy laws.
$1.375 Billion Settlement with Texas: Google settled over allegations of collecting geolocation, incognito search, and biometric data without consent.
Summary
Historical Privacy Concerns: Since the mid-2000s, Google has been criticized for cooperating with intelligence agencies, tracking users via cookies and analytics, sharing data across platforms (e.g., Gmail, YouTube, Search), and dropping bans on personally identifiable info in ad services (DoubleClick, 2016). In 2007, Privacy International ranked Google as “Hostile to Privacy.”
Google’s devices and services have been found to record audio even when users didn’t intend to activate them. Human review of voice recordings was part of Google’s efforts to improve AI, but raised serious privacy concerns. Multiple lawsuits and settlements have resulted in billions of dollars in penalties. Users can review and delete their voice recordings via Google’s My Activity page.