Apple claims Siri data was never sold, do you believe?

The "Hey, Siri" data that was (is) being gathered by the many millions of iPhones around the world was (is?) not being sold by Apple, the company claims.

Last week, the Cupertino giant agreed to a $95 million settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit. It accused the company of allowing its popular Siri voice assistant to unintentionally record private conversations and share them with third parties, including advertisers. The suit claimed Apple recorded conversations through Siri even without the "Hey Siri" activation command. Nasty.

Yup, the whole story does sound a bit familiar, doesn't it? "My phone is eavesdropping" has a topic for conversation for many years now:

• Leaked pitch deck proves that your phone is listening to what you say

Back to Apple, though. Naturally, Cupertino denied the allegations and did not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement, which could provide eligible customers up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, such as iPhones and Apple Watches.

Following the settlement, speculation arose online suggesting that the case validated the claims. In response, Apple issued a statement refuting the accusations and clarifying its data practices, Reuters reports. The company claims that it has never used Siri data to build marketing profiles, sold such data, or shared it with advertisers. Do you believe these claims?

Apple also explained that some Siri features require real-time processing by its servers, but these processes use minimal data to deliver accurate results.

Apple further clarified that audio recordings from Siri interactions are not retained unless users explicitly opt in to improve the assistant. Even in those cases, Apple said, the data is used solely for development purposes.

By settling, Apple avoids admitting any wrongdoing, but the agreement still requires approval from US District Judge Jeffrey White, with a February 14 hearing scheduled.

If approved, the settlement would allow millions of eligible consumers who owned Siri-enabled Apple devices between September 17, 2014, and late last year to file claims. Each claimant could receive up to $20 per device, with a maximum of five devices per person. However, only a small fraction of eligible customers (around 3% to 5%) are expected to participate. Meanwhile, the attorneys involved in the case are seeking nearly $30 million in fees. Oh, well.

Will you be one of those "3% to 5%" of participating people? Let me know in the comments.