Apple scandal: France investigates Siri wiretapping, shares collapse
FILE PHOTO: View of an Apple logo at an Apple store in Paris, France, April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor/File Photo
French prosecutors have opened an investigation into Apple over the possible illegal collection of users’ voice recordings by Siri. The company’s shares fell to $255.75 on the news, down 0.9% from their previous close of $258.02.
According to Politico , the investigation is being conducted by the cybercrime agency OFAC after a complaint from the French human rights organization Ligue des droits de l’Homme. The basis was the testimony of former Apple contractor employee Thomas Le Bonniec, who said that the company stored and analyzed Siri user recordings without their consent.
“The investigation should help answer pressing questions: how many records Apple has made since 2014, how many people have been affected, and where this data is stored,” Le Bonniec said in a comment to Politico.
The company denied the allegations. An Apple representative in France said that “Apple has never used Siri data to create marketing profiles, nor sold or transferred it to third parties.”
Le Bonniec turned to the prosecutor’s office after receiving no response from data protection regulators – notably the CNIL in France and the DPC in Ireland. The DPC closed the case in 2022 without opening an investigation.
The complaint also became the basis for a class action lawsuit in France, similar to a case in the US where Apple was accused of recording private conversations. In December 2024, the company agreed to settle the lawsuit for $95 million without admitting fault.
In January 2025, Apple officially announced that it would not store audio recordings of interactions with Siri unless the user provides explicit consent.
Meanwhile, Apple’s stock price has fallen amid reports of the investigation. The red line on the chart shows a decline from $258.02 to $255.75.
As a reminder, on September 9, Apple held its traditional fall presentation called “Awe Dropping.” During the event, four iPhone 17 models were introduced at once, including the brand new iPhone 17 Air, as well as the updated AirPods Pro 3, Apple Watch Series 11, Watch SE 3, and Watch Ultra 3.
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