{"dataset":{"name":"Settlements, fines and lawsuits over voice recordings","title":"Voice Recording Privacy Settlements and Fines","question":"Which companies paid settlements or fines over voice recordings and voice data, how much, and why?","url":"https://yapapp.cc/data/voice-privacy-settlements","measure":{"label":"Amount","unit":"million US dollars","short":"$M","decimals":2},"dimensions":[{"key":"company","label":"Company"},{"key":"service","label":"Service"},{"key":"kind","label":"Kind","values":["Class action settlement","Regulator fine or order","Court judgment","Lawsuit filed","Investigation"]},{"key":"authority","label":"Authority or court"},{"key":"issue","label":"What it was about","values":["Recording without consent","Human review of recordings","Keeping recordings too long","Voiceprints and biometrics","Children's voice data","Sharing with third parties","Other"]},{"key":"country","label":"Country"},{"key":"year","label":"Year"}],"include":"A settlement, fine, judgment or a filed case (num null with text when no amount) about voice recordings or voice data, from the regulator's or court's own page, the company's statement, or a news report of record that states the amount.","exclude":"Cases about other data with voice only mentioned, and proposed amounts that were rejected (unless the rejection is the row).","method":"Found by web search of regulators (FTC, data protection authorities), court and settlement sites and news archives. Each row is a fact quoting the source, checked automatically against the live page.","limitations":"Settlements usually admit no wrongdoing. Amounts in other currencies are converted at the rate stated in note.","sources":13,"updated":"2026-10-19","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","credit":"Yap (2026). Settlements, fines and lawsuits over voice recordings [Data set]. https://yapapp.cc/data/voice-privacy-settlements"},"rows":[{"row":"Apple Siri complaint (LDH), 2025","value":null,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"Complaint and report filed with the Paris prosecutor in February 2025, alleging non-consensual Siri recordings","unit":"million US dollars","company":"Apple","service":"Siri","kind":"Lawsuit filed","authority":"Paris prosecutor's office","issue":"Recording without consent","country":"France","year":2025,"conversion":null,"claim":"The Ligue des droits de l'homme (LDH) filed a complaint and report with the Paris prosecutor against Apple over Siri recordings made without consent.","quote":"La LDH a adressé au parquet de Paris une plainte et un signalement visant Apple","where_in_source":"Article body, paragraph about the complaint","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/afp-2025-ldh-complaint-siri","source_title":"Plainte à Paris contre Apple pour des 'enregistrements non consentis' effectués par l'assistant vocal Siri","source_publisher":"RTBF Actus","source_year":"2025","source_url":"https://www.rtbf.be/article/plainte-a-paris-contre-apple-pour-des-enregistrements-non-consentis-effectues-par-l-assistant-vocal-siri-11504330","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-19"},{"row":"Liquid Telecom Kenya 2026","value":null,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"the Commissioner ordered Liquid Telecommunications Kenya Ltd to compensate the complainant Sh700,000","unit":"million US dollars","company":"Liquid Telecommunications Kenya","service":"Exit consultation call","kind":"Regulator fine or order","authority":"Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, Kenya","issue":"Recording without consent","country":"Kenya","year":2026,"conversion":null,"claim":"In a 2026 decision, Kenya's Data Protection Commissioner found that Liquid Telecommunications Kenya recorded a complainant's personal data on an exit consultation call without his consent, and ordered the company to pay the complainant Sh700,000 (in Kenyan shillings).","quote":"the respondent recorded the complainant’s personal data during an exit consultation call without his consent ... the Commissioner ordered Liquid Telecommunications Kenya Ltd to compensate the complainant Sh700,000.","where_in_source":"Body text, paragraphs on the finding and the orders","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/odpc-2026-liquid-call-recording-compensation","source_title":"ODPC protects employee rights against unauthorized call recording, awards Sh700,000","source_publisher":"Capital FM (Kenya)","source_year":"2026","source_url":"https://capitalfm.africa/odpc-call-recording-unlawful-processing-liquid-telecom/","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-19"},{"row":"Otter.ai consolidated class action","value":null,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"Consolidated Class Action Complaint, In re Otter.AI Privacy Litigation, No. 5:25-cv-06911-EKL, N.D. Cal., filed December 5, 2025","unit":"million US dollars","company":"Otter.ai","service":"Otter Notetaker","kind":"Lawsuit filed","authority":"U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California","issue":"Recording without consent","country":"United States","year":2025,"conversion":null,"claim":"Otter.ai, Inc. is the defendant in a consolidated class action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California over its Otter Notetaker meeting assistant. The case is In re Otter.AI Privacy Litigation, No. 5:25-cv-06911-EKL, and the operative complaint is dated December 5, 2025.","quote":"IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA IN RE: OTTER.AI PRIVACY LITIGATION Case No. 5:25-cv-06911-EKL CONSOLIDATED CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT","where_in_source":"Caption of the Consolidated Class Action Complaint (Document 35)","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/otter-2025-consolidated-class-action-filed","source_title":"Consolidated Class Action Complaint, In re Otter.AI Privacy Litigation, No. 5:25-cv-06911-EKL (N.D. Cal., filed December 5, 2025)","source_publisher":"U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (docket copy on CourtListener RECAP, Document 35)","source_year":"2025","source_url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.454675/gov.uscourts.cand.454675.35.0.pdf","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-19"},{"row":"Apple Siri settlement, 2025","value":95,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"95","unit":"million US dollars","company":"Apple","service":"Siri","kind":"Class action settlement","authority":null,"issue":"Recording without consent","country":null,"year":2025,"conversion":null,"claim":"Reuters reported in January 2025 that Apple agreed to pay $95 million in cash to settle a proposed class action claiming Siri violated users' privacy.","quote":"Apple ( AAPL ) agreed to pay $95 million in cash to settle a proposed class action lawsuit claiming that its voice-activated Siri assistant violated users' privacy.","where_in_source":"Opening paragraph","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/apple-siri-settlement-95-million-2025","source_title":"Apple to pay $95 million to settle Siri privacy lawsuit","source_publisher":"Reuters (via Yahoo Finance)","source_year":"2025","source_url":"https://finance.yahoo.com/news/apple-pay-95-million-settle-151238610.html","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Google Assistant class action","value":68,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"68","unit":"million US dollars","company":"Google","service":"Google Assistant","kind":"Class action settlement","authority":"Federal court in San Jose","issue":"Recording without consent","country":"United States","year":2026,"conversion":null,"claim":"In January 2026, Google agreed to pay $68 million to settle a class action that accused it of illegally recording private conversations through Google Assistant. Google denied wrongdoing.","quote":"Google has agreed to pay $68 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused the company of illegally recording private conversations through its voice assistant","where_in_source":"Opening paragraph","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/medianama-2026-google-68-million-settlement","source_title":"Google to Pay $68M in Class Action Settlement Over Voice Assistant's Accidental Recordings","source_publisher":"MediaNama","source_year":"2026","source_url":"https://www.medianama.com/2026/01/223-google-voice-assistant-recording-private-conversations-68-million/","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-17"},{"row":"AEPD, unnamed firm, recorded call","value":0.005732,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"0.01","unit":"million US dollars","company":"Unnamed company","service":null,"kind":"Regulator fine or order","authority":"Agencia Española de Protección de Datos","issue":"Recording without consent","country":"Spain","year":2022,"conversion":"5,000 euros times 1.1464 US dollars per euro, the ECB reference rate for 4 February 2022, is 5,732 US dollars, or 0.005732 million.","claim":"Spain's data protection agency fined a company 5,000 euros for recording a customer's conversation without warning the customer or getting consent, as a legal news site reported on 4 February 2022.","quote":"La Agencia Española de Protección de Datos ha sancionado a una empresa con 5.000 euros por grabar una conversación con un cliente sin avisarle previamente y sin contar con su consentimiento","where_in_source":"Lead paragraph, published 04/02/2022","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/aepd-2022-5000-euro-call-recording-without-notice","source_title":"Empresa es sancionada por grabar una conversación con un cliente sin su consentimiento","source_publisher":"Economist & Jurist","source_year":"2022","source_url":"https://www.economistjurist.es/noticias-juridicas/sancionada-por-grabar-una-conversacion-con-un-cliente/","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-19"},{"row":"Hamburg DPA, Google Assistant 2019","value":null,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"Die Auswertung von Audioausschnitten durch Auftragnehmer oder Mitarbeiter zur Verbesserung von Sprachassistenzsystemen ohne eine zusätzliche informierte Zustimmung zu dieser Praxis verletzt die Datenschutzrechte und -freiheiten der Nutzer.","unit":"million US dollars","company":"Google","service":"Google Assistant","kind":"Investigation","authority":"Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (HmbBfDI)","issue":"Human review of recordings","country":"Germany","year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"In its 26 August 2019 press release, the Hamburg data protection authority said that having contractors or staff review audio excerpts from voice assistants to improve them, without additional informed consent, violates users' data protection rights.","quote":"Die Auswertung von Audioausschnitten durch Auftragnehmer oder Mitarbeiter zur Verbesserung von Sprachassistenzsystemen ohne eine zusätzliche informierte Zustimmung zu dieser Praxis verletzt die Datenschutzrechte und -freiheiten der Nutzer.","where_in_source":"Press release of 26 August 2019, first page","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/hmbbfdi-2019-google-assistant-human-review-proceeding","source_title":"Automatische Sprachassistenzsysteme - Klare Schritte zur Umsetzung datenschutzrechtlicher Vorgaben durch Google sowie andere Anbieter gefordert (press release, 26 August 2019)","source_publisher":"Der Hamburgische Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit (HmbBfDI)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://datenschutz-hamburg.de/fileadmin/user_upload/HmbBfDI/Pressemitteilungen/2019/2019-08-26_Google_Sprachassistenzsysteme.pdf","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-19"},{"row":"Apple Siri investigation, Paris, 2025","value":null,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation into Siri recordings, reported October 6, 2025","unit":"million US dollars","company":"Apple","service":"Siri","kind":"Investigation","authority":"Paris prosecutor's office","issue":"Human review of recordings","country":"France","year":2025,"conversion":null,"claim":"The Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation into Apple's Siri voice assistant, reported on October 6, 2025.","quote":"Le Parquet de Paris vient de lancer une enquête sur Apple, et plus particulièrement sur son assistant vocal Siri.","where_in_source":"Lead paragraph","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/presse-citron-2025-paris-investigation-siri","source_title":"Apple suspecté d'écouter ses utilisateurs à leur insu via Siri, le parquet de Paris ouvre une enquête","source_publisher":"Presse-Citron","source_year":"2025","source_url":"https://www.presse-citron.net/apple-suspecte-decouter-ses-utilisateurs-a-leur-insu-via-siri-le-parquet-de-paris-ouvre-une-enquete/","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-19"},{"row":"Google, Texas AG 2025","value":null,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"Google has agreed to pay $1.375 billion to settle privacy claims in Texas","unit":"million US dollars","company":"Google","service":"Nest and Google Assistant","kind":"Regulator fine or order","authority":"Texas Attorney General","issue":"Voiceprints and biometrics","country":"United States","year":2025,"conversion":"Not a voice-only amount: the $1.375 billion covers the biometric suit (faceprints and voiceprints) and a separate location-data suit, and the split is not stated, so num is null. Kind is the closest value: a settlement with a state attorney general, not a class action.","claim":"In May 2025, Google agreed to pay $1.375 billion to settle Texas privacy claims, and the Texas Attorney General alleged that Google's Nest and Google Assistant products captured voiceprints. The sum also covers a separate location-data suit, so the amount is not voice-only.","quote":"Google has agreed to pay $1.375 billion to settle privacy claims in Texas ... He specifically alleged that Google Photos and Nest use facial-recognition software to garner faceprints of users as well as non-users who appear in images, and that Nest and Assistant also allegedly capture voiceprints.","where_in_source":"Opening paragraph and the paragraph on the biometric suit","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/texas-2025-google-voiceprints-settlement","source_title":"Google To Pay $1.375 Billion To Resolve Texas Privacy Battle","source_publisher":"MediaPost (MediaDailyNews)","source_year":"2025","source_url":"https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/405803/google-to-pay-1375-billion-to-resolve-texas-priv.html","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-19"},{"row":"Whole Foods BIPA 2023","value":0.3,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"0.3","unit":"million US dollars","company":"Whole Foods","service":"Headsets used by distribution-center workers","kind":"Class action settlement","authority":"Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois","issue":"Voiceprints and biometrics","country":"United States","year":2023,"conversion":"The source says nearly $300,000, which is entered as 0.3 million US dollars. The source gives no exact sum, so the figure is an approximation.","claim":"In January 2023, an Illinois state court gave preliminary approval to a settlement of nearly $300,000 in a class action against Whole Foods, which the plaintiffs said collected warehouse workers' voiceprints through headsets under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.","quote":"a preliminary approval order for a settlement of nearly $300,000 in a class action lawsuit against Whole Foods","where_in_source":"Opening paragraph","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/hunton-2023-whole-foods-voiceprint-300000","source_title":"Whole Foods Settles BIPA Voiceprint Class Action","source_publisher":"NatLawReview (republished from the Hunton Andrews Kurth Privacy and Cybersecurity Law Blog)","source_year":"2023","source_url":"https://www.natlawreview.com/article/whole-foods-settles-bipa-voiceprint-class-action","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-19"},{"row":"Amazon Alexa children's recordings, 2023","value":25,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"25","unit":"million US dollars","company":"Amazon","service":"Alexa","kind":"Regulator fine or order","authority":"FTC and DOJ, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington","issue":"Children's voice data","country":"United States","year":2023,"conversion":null,"claim":"Amazon agreed to a permanent injunction and a $25 million civil penalty, in a settlement with the FTC and DOJ over alleged COPPA and FTC Act violations relating to Alexa.","quote":"have agreed to a permanent injunction and a $25 million civil penalty as part of a settlement to resolve alleged violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)","where_in_source":"First paragraph","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/amazon-2023-alexa-children-25-million-civil-penalty","source_title":"Amazon Agrees to Injunctive Relief and $25 Million Civil Penalty for Alleged Violations of Children's Privacy Law Relating to Alexa","source_publisher":"U.S. Department of Justice","source_year":"2023","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/amazon-agrees-injunctive-relief-and-25-million-civil-penalty-alleged-violations-childrens","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-19"},{"row":"Garante, call center recordings 2012","value":null,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"dichiara illeciti i trattamenti effettuati in violazione degli artt. 11, comma 1, lett. a) e d) e 114 del Codice","unit":"million US dollars","company":"Cooperativa Capodarco","service":"Health appointment booking call center","kind":"Regulator fine or order","authority":"Garante per la protezione dei dati personali","issue":"Other","country":"Italy","year":2012,"conversion":null,"claim":"In a 1 August 2012 decision on call center workers and quality checks, Italy's data protection authority declared unlawful the processing of the data at issue, which included recordings of a call center's phone calls.","quote":"Lavoro: operatori di un call center e controlli di qualità - 1° agosto 2012 ... dichiara illeciti i trattamenti effettuati in violazione degli artt. 11, comma 1, lett. a) e d) e 114 del Codice","where_in_source":"Decision title and operative part","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/garante-2012-call-center-recordings-order","source_title":"Lavoro: operatori di un call center e controlli di qualità - 1° agosto 2012","source_publisher":"Garante per la protezione dei dati personali","source_year":"2012","source_url":"https://www.garanteprivacy.it/home/docweb/-/docweb-display/docweb/1923325","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-19"},{"row":"Cox Media Group, FTC 2026","value":0.88,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"0.88","unit":"million US dollars","company":"Cox Media Group","service":"Active listening ad targeting","kind":"Regulator fine or order","authority":"Federal Trade Commission","issue":"Other","country":"United States","year":2026,"conversion":"$880,000 is 0.88 million US dollars. The case is about false claims to small businesses that the service targets ads from conversations, not about recordings kept or shared; the amount is as reported by MediaPost.","claim":"Cox Media Group agreed to pay $880,000 to settle FTC charges that it falsely claimed to offer active listening ad targeting to small businesses.","quote":"Cox Media Group will pay $880,000 to settle charges that it misled small businesses by falsely claiming to offer","where_in_source":"Opening paragraph","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/cox-2026-ftc-880000-settlement","source_title":"Cox Falsely Claimed To Target Ads Based On Conversations, FTC Charges","source_publisher":"MediaPost","source_year":"2026","source_url":"https://mediapost.com/publications/article/415266/cox-falsely-claimed-to-target-ads-based-on-convers.html","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-17"}]}