France opens probe into Apple’s Siri data practices

French prosecutors have launched an investigation into Apple over alleged privacy violations tied to its voice assistant Siri, following a complaint by the human rights group Ligue des droits de l'Homme, according to Politico Europe.

The probe, led by France's cybercrime agency OFAC, stems from testimony by whistleblower Thomas Le Bonniec, a former contractor who claimed in 2019 that he and others were tasked with listening to thousands of Siri recordings, some containing intimate or sensitive information. Le Bonniec told POLITICO the investigation should clarify "how many recordings in total have been made by Apple since 2014" and where the data is stored. Apple denied any misuse of Siri data, saying it "has never used Siri data to create marketing profiles" or sell user information.

The case comes after a similar U.S. class-action lawsuit, settled for $95 million last year, accused the company of secretly recording users. In January, Apple stated it now retains Siri audio only with explicit user consent.