The Steady Drip

Is Your Tech Listening? Apple Settles Claim for Siri Eavesdropping (Connecting the Dots: Blink, RING, Amazon, Google, Google Nest, Apple, Microsoft, Bill Gates, PRISM, NSA, Kleiner Perkins, Olive Garden, General Mills, Samsung & The Carnegie/Soros Network)

Apple is paying $95 million over claims that Siri secretly recorded private chats and fed targeted ads

May 20, 2025

By Deni Ellis Béchard edited by Dean Visser

Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/apple-settles-claim-for-siri-eavesdropping/

Sex, drug deals and doctor visits: according to allegations, Apple’s Siri eavesdropped on these and much more—on people’s iPhones, HomePods and Apple Watches—and used the content to target advertisements on users’ devices. Despite having denied selling our pillow talk to marketers, Apple just cut a $95-million check to settle a lawsuit in which plaintiffs reported eerie coincidences: discussing Air Jordan sneakers and immediately seeing ads for them; mentioning Olive Garden only to be served pasta commercials; talking privately with a doctor about a surgical procedure before seeing a promo for that very treatment. In early May the settlement administrator opened a claims website, allowing U.S. owners of every Siri-enabled gadget bought between September 2014 and December 2024 (essentially the lifespan of “Hey, Siri”) to request a payout of up to 20 bucks per affected device—enough for a drink and a wary glance at your phone.

The lawsuit, Lopez v. Apple, dates back to July 2019, when the Guardian published the allegations of an anonymous whistleblower—an Apple subcontractor whose job was to listen to Siri recordings to determine if the voice-activated assistant was being correctly triggered. The whistleblower claimed that accidental Siri activations routinely captured sensitive audio. Despite Apple’s promises that Siri listens only when invited, background noises (often just the sound of a zipper, according to the whistleblower) could switch it on. The contractor said user location and contact information accompanied recordings.

Apple had never explicitly told users that humans might review their Siri requests, and within a week of the Guardian report, the company halted the program. The first Lopez v. Apple complaint was filed in August 2019, and two weeks later Apple issued a public apology in which it promised to make human review opt-in-only and to stop retaining audio by default. That apology was framed to allay customer concerns—not as an admission of wrongdoing. Apple denied all allegations in the lawsuit, which is common in class-action settlements in U.S. courts.

If the situation sounds familiar, your memory works. In 2018 Amazon’s Alexa recorded a married couple’s conversation about hardwood floors and sent it to one of the husband’s employees. Amazon blamed an unlikely chain of misheard cues—basically, it came down to Alexa butt-dialing someone with living room chatter. The following year Bloomberg reported that Amazon had thousands of workers transcribing clips to fine-tune the assistant. Later Google faced similar allegations. The pattern was clear: robots needed to be trained to make sure that they were hearing voice commands correctly, and this training needed to come from humans who, in the process, inevitably heard things they shouldn’t via consumer gadgets. Even TVs were implicated: in 2015 Samsung warned owners not to discuss secrets near its smart sets because voice commands were sent to unnamed third parties, a disclaimer that could have been written by George Orwell.

This isn’t tin-foil-hat territory. A 2019 survey found that 55 percent of Americans believe their phones listen to them to collect data for targeted ads, and a 2023 poll pushed the number north of 60 percent. In the U.K., a 2021 poll found two thirds of adults had noticed an ad that they felt was tied to a recent real-life chat. But psychologists say this perception of “conversation-related ad creep” often relies on a feedback loop driven by confirmation bias: we ignore the thousands of ads that form a constant backdrop to our lives but build a campfire legend from the one time we mentioned “fire,” and an app tried to sell us tiki torches. The result is a low-grade cultural fear, with people placing masking tape on device mics and TikTokers begging Siri to stop stalking them. Knowing how ravenous tech companies are for data, people can hardly be blamed for this attitude.

As for Apple, which once put “What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone” on a Las Vegas billboard, the settlement doesn’t force it to admit fault—but lands a dent in its titanium halo: If the Cupertino, Calif.–based company can’t keep a lid on hot-mic moments, who can?

(Asked for comment by Scientific American, Apple shared information on the settlement and emphasized its commitment to privacy. And Amazon reiterated its commitment to privacy, writing, “Access to internal services is highly controlled, and is only granted to a limited number of employees who require these services to train and improve the service.” Samsung and Google had not responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.)

Blink Home

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blink_Home

Amazon announced in December 2017 that they had acquired the company.[7] Immedia Semiconductor, LLC continues to operate as an independent subsidiary.[8] It is anticipated that Blink's technology will be used for the Amazon Key service.

Ring (company)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_(company)

Ring LLC is a manufacturer of home security and smart home devices owned by Amazon. It manufactures a line of Ring smart doorbells, home security cameras, and alarm systems. It also operates Neighbors, a social network that allows users to discuss local safety and security issues, and share footage captured with Ring products. Via Neighbors, Ring provides footage and data to law enforcement agencies to assist in investigations.

Google Nest

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Nest

History

Nest Labs before acquisition by Google

Nest Labs was founded in 2010 by former Apple engineers Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers.[10] The idea came when Fadell was building a vacation home and found all of the available thermostats on the market to be inadequate, motivated to bring something better on the market.[6] Early investors in Nest Labs included Shasta Ventures and Kleiner Perkins.[11]

Acquisition by Google of Nest Labs, Dropcam, and Revolv

On January 13, 2014, Google announced plans to acquire Nest Labs for $3.2 billion in cash. Google completed the acquisition the next day, on January 14, 2014.[12][13] The company would operate independently from Google's other businesses.

Olive Garden

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_Garden

History

The Olive Garden started as a unit of General Mills.

Part 1. Prevent Microsoft from spying you during Windows 11 Installation

https://www.wintips.org/how-to-prevent-windows-11-from-spying-on-you/

Choose a Local Account Over Microsoft Account

When setting up a new computer coming with Windows 11 (Out of Box Experience/OOBE) or when performing a clean installation of Windows 11, choose a local account instead of signing in with a Microsoft account. This limits data sending to Microsoft. To do this, follow the instructions on this guide: How to Setup Windows 11 With a local account.

Connecting the Dots:

Amazon is the Parent Holding company for Blink Home.

Amazon is the Parent Holding company for Ring (company).

Jeffrey P. Bezos is the chairman & president & CEO for Amazon.com, Inc. and a member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition.

L. John Doerr was a director at the Amazon.com, Inc, is a member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder the Aspen Institute (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

George Soros is a member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition and was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

William H. Gates III is a member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, a co-founder & technology adviser & director for the Microsoft Corporation and a co-chair for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

National Security Agency (NSA) was a grant recipient from the Microsoft Corporation.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder the Aspen Institute (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Google Inc. was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Google LLC is the Parent Holding company for Google Nest.

L. John Doerr is a director at Google Inc., a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and was a director at the Amazon.com, Inc.

Henrietta Holsman Fore is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and a member of the Belizean Grove.

Siri S. Marshall is a member of the Belizean Grove and was an SVP & general counsel for General Mills Inc.

Belizean_Grove is the equivalent to the male-only social group, the Bohemian Club.

Henry A. Kissinger was a member of the Bohemian Club, a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), the Aspen Institute (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

C. Boyden Gray is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and was a partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr was the lobby firm for Apple Inc.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development.

Hilda Ochoa-Brillembourg is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and was a director at General Mills Inc.

General Mills was the parent Holding company for Olive Garden from (1982–1995).

Paul Danos is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and a director at General Mills Inc.

Lois E. Quam was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and a director at General Mills Inc.

James A. Lawrence is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and was the vice chairman & CFO for General Mills Inc.

Raymond V. Gilmartin is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and was a director at General Mills Inc.

William T. Esrey was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and a director at General Mills Inc.

Steve A. Odland is the CEO for the Committee for Economic Development and a director at General Mills Inc.

Stephen W. Sanger is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and was the chairman & CEO for General Mills Inc.

Mary Agnes Wilderotter is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, a member of the Belizean Grove and was an SVP for the Microsoft Corporation.

Siri S. Marshall is a member of the Belizean Grove and was an SVP & general counsel for General Mills Inc.

Joanne R. Harrell is a member of the Belizean Grove, and a senior director, e-government programs for the Microsoft Corporation.

Kimberly Till is a member of the Belizean Grove and was a VP for the Microsoft Corporation.

William H. Gates III is a co-founder & technology adviser & director for the Microsoft Corporation and a co-chair for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development and the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Henrietta Holsman Fore is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and a member of the Belizean Grove.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank and the Committee for Economic Development.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Letitia James is the chair for the Committee on Economic Development and the Attorney General of New York.

Andrea Jung was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and is a director at Apple Inc.

Albert A. Gore Jr. is a director at Apple Inc., the chairman for the Climate Reality Project, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and was a donor for The Climate Project.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Climate Reality Project.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

The Climate Project is a merged organization with the Climate Reality Project.

Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers was a donor for The Climate Project.

Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is an investor in Google Inc.

Stephanie Tilenius was an executive in residence for Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and a VP for Google Inc.

Thomas J. Perkins is a partner emeritus for Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and was a director at the Compaq Computer Corporation.

Timothy D. Cook is a VP for the Compaq Computer Corporation and is the CEO for Apple Inc.

Steve Jobs was a co-founder & chairman for Apple Inc. and married to Laurene Powell Jobs.

Laurene Powell Jobs was married to Steve Jobs and a director at the New America Foundation.

Jonathan Soros is a director at the New America Foundation, George Soros’s son and was the vice chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

George Soros is Jonathan Soros’s father and was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the New America Foundation.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder the New America Foundation and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Alan B. Davidson is a fellow at the New America Foundation and was a senior policy counsel for Google Inc.

Eric E. Schmidt is the chairman of the New America Foundation, was a funder for the New America Foundation, the CEO for Google and a director at Apple Inc. and Inc.

Google LLC is the Parent Holding company for Google Nest.

Laurene Powell Jobs was a director at the New America Foundation and married to Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs was married to Laurene Powell Jobs, a co-founder & chairman for Apple Inc. and approved Walter Isaacson to write his (2011 autobiography).

Walter Isaacson wrote Steve Jobs (2011 autobiography), is a director at the Bloomberg Family Foundation and the president & CEO for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Bloomberg Family Foundation was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder the Aspen Institute (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and

is a member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition.

L. John Doerr is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), a member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition and was a director at the Amazon.com, Inc.

Jeffrey P. Bezos is a member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition and the chairman & president & CEO for Amazon.com, Inc.

Amazon is the Parent Holding company for Blink Home.

Amazon is the Parent Holding company for Ring (company).

Jeffrey P. Bezos is the chairman & president & CEO for Amazon.com, Inc. and a member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition.

George Soros is a member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition.

PRISM reportedly collects data from the Microsoft Corporation, Google Inc. and is a data-mining program for the National Security Agency (NSA).

National Security Agency (NSA) was a grant recipient from the Microsoft Corporation.

Microsoft Corporation was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Center for American Progress and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder the Center for American Progress and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, a supporter for the Center for American Progress and is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation and the Center for American Progress.

Lisa P. Jackson is a director at the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation and a VP for Apple Inc.

Apple Inc. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Carol M. Browner is a director, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and was the energy czar for the Barack Obama administration.

Tom Daschle is a director at the Center for American Progress and was the nominee for health and human services secretary for the Barack Obama administration.

Ezekiel Emanuel is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and was the health care policy adviser for the Barack Obama administration.

Lawrence H. Summers is a distinguished fellow at the Center for American Progress and was the National Economic Council chairman for the Barack Obama administration.

Cassandra Q. Butts was the SVP for the Center for American Progress and the deputy White House counsel for the Barack Obama administration.

Philip J. Crowley was the director of homeland security at the Center for American Progress and the assistant secretary of state for the Barack Obama administration.

Derek Douglas was an associate director of economic policy at the Center for American Progress and a special assistant for urban affairs for the Barack Obama administration.

Bradley J. Kiley was a VP for the Center for American Progress and the director of management and administration for the Barack Obama administration.

Karen Kornbluh was a visiting scholar at the Center for American Progress and a policy director for Barack Obama.

Jeanne Lambrew was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the deputy assistant to the president for health policy for the Barack Obama administration.

Denis McDonough was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the chief of staff; former deputy national security adviser for the Barack Obama administration.

Esther M. Olavarria was the director of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress and the deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the Barack Obama administration.

Dan Restrepo was the Americas Project director at the Center for American Progress and a special assistant to the president for the Barack Obama administration.

Gene B. Sperling was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the assistant to the president for economic policy for the Barack Obama administration.

Todd Stern was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the special envoy for climate change at the U.S. Department of State for the Barack Obama administration.

Melody C. Barnes was the EVP for the Center for American Progress, the domestic policy council, director for the Barack Obama administration and Barack Obama’s golf partner.

Larry D. Thompson is the EVP of governmental affairs, general counsel & secretary for PepsiCo, Inc. and a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and is a member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition.

Microsoft Corporation was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Michael H. Jordan was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the division chairman & CEO for PepsiCo, Inc.

Kimberly Cheatle served as Senior Director in Global Security at PepsiCo. and was the 27^th director for the U.S. Secret Service. (President Trump was shot in Butler under her leadership).

Google Inc. was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Microsoft Corporation was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the Center for American Progress.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder the Brookings Institution (think tank), the Center for American Progress and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank), the Center for American Progress and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder the Brookings Institution (think tank), the Center for American Progress and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Apple Inc. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Center for American Progress and the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, a supporter for the Center for American Progress and is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Samsung Electronics Co. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Lawrence H. Summers is a distinguished fellow at the Center for American Progress, was the National Economic Council chairman for the Barack Obama administration and a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Microsoft Corporation was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Cameron F. Kerry is a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), John F. Kerry’s brother, a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP and was an associate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr was the lobby firm for Apple Inc.

Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.

Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP and Obamacare is his signature policy initiative.
Obamacare is Barack Obama’s signature policy initiative.

Booz Allen Hamilton is a contractor for Obamacare.

Booz Allen Hamilton is a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).

National Security Agency (NSA) was a grant recipient from the Microsoft Corporation.

CGI Group Inc. was the Obamacare contractor that developed Healthcare.gov web site.

Donna S. Morea was the EVP for the CGI Group Inc., and a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Andrea Jung was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and is a director at Apple Inc.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development.

Hilda Ochoa-Brillembourg is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and was a director at General Mills Inc.

General Mills was the parent Holding company for Olive Garden from (1982–1995).
Paul Danos is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and a director at General Mills Inc.