Apple is under investigation in France for how it handled voice recordings collected through its Siri assistant. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed the case has been referred to the Office for Combating Cybercrime, signaling serious scrutiny of the company’s past data practices.
Siri’s Data Collection Under Review
According to Bloomberg, the investigation focuses on Apple’s process of recording and analyzing Siri interactions. The company says the recordings are part of a program to improve voice recognition and are stored only when users opt in. These audio samples, some kept for up to two years, are reviewed by human graders to assess Siri’s accuracy.
However, critics argue that even with consent, Apple’s handling of the data raises privacy concerns. France’s Ligue des droits de l’Homme filed the complaint earlier this year, citing testimony from Thomas le Bonniec, a former Apple contractor in Ireland. He previously revealed that workers could hear sensitive conversations, including private medical discussions and intimate moments, while reviewing Siri audio clips.
Company Response
This is not the first time Apple has faced questions about Siri recordings. In 2019, The Guardian reported that third-party contractors were listening to snippets of Siri conversations without users’ clear knowledge. Following the backlash, Apple suspended the program and later changed its policy to make audio sharing an explicit opt-in feature.
When asked about the French probe, Apple referred to its January blog post reaffirming its commitment to privacy. In that post, the company stated that it no longer keeps Siri recordings unless users agree and that any retained data is used only to improve the assistant’s performance.
France’s Tech Scrutiny
France has built a reputation for holding major U.S. tech firms accountable, with ongoing investigations into data use, competition, and digital taxation. This latest probe adds to that pattern. Whether the findings lead to legal action remains to be seen, but the case underscores Europe’s growing insistence on transparency in how tech companies handle personal data.
