SIRI, SEARCH USER PRIVACY

A federal judge on Thursday allowed a lawsuit to move forward against Apple centered on allegations that the Siri voice assistant violates user privacy.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White ruled that the plaintiffs had done enough to allege that their privacy was violated when Siri was accidentally activated and recorded conversations.

However, he ruled that the lawsuit did not prove iPhone users suffered any economic harm from those unintentional recordings, a crucial component of proving that Apple deceptively marketed the voice assistant under California’s Unfair Competition Law.

The plaintiffs may still pursue claims under the federal Wiretap Act and California privacy law.