Kristina Roberts
In France, Apple — one of the world’s biggest technology companies — is now under investigation for allegedly collecting private user data through its voice assistant, Siri. The case began after a French tech researcher claimed that Apple had recorded and analyzed conversations without users’ consent. The matter has now caught the attention of French prosecutors, who have assigned the case to a police unit that deals specifically with cybercrime.
The investigation was first reported by the well-known news outlet Politico. It marks a serious step in how countries are beginning to look more closely at how large technology companies handle personal data. Privacy has become a global concern, and even small issues can raise big questions about how much control people really have over their own digital lives.
The complaint that started this case came from Thomas Le Bonniec, a French tech researcher who had previously worked with Apple. Le Bonniec told Reuters that he was the person who filed the complaint, with the help of a French human rights organization called the Ligue des Droits de l’Homme (LDH). This organization has long worked to protect citizens’ rights and freedoms in France. According to LDH, the complaint accuses Apple of collecting, recording, and analyzing people’s Siri conversations without their clear consent.
LDH said that this type of data collection could violate basic privacy rights protected under French and European laws. However, when reporters tried to contact LDH for further comments on the issue, the organization did not respond on Monday.
In a statement to Reuters, Le Bonniec expressed why he thought this case was so important. “The opening of a criminal investigation … sends a clear message: fundamental rights matter, and there are organisations and people determined to uphold them,” he said. His words reflect the growing tension between technology companies and privacy advocates across the world.
For years, there have been ongoing debates about how voice assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon’s Alexa collect and use voice data. These assistants are designed to help users — answering questions, setting reminders, and performing various tasks. But the convenience they offer also raises the question: what happens to all the words we say to them? Are these conversations stored, listened to, or used for something beyond our knowledge?
This is exactly what concerns people like Le Bonniec. He first gained attention a few years ago when he revealed that Apple contractors sometimes listened to Siri recordings as part of their “quality control” process. That means human reviewers were checking how well Siri understood users — but this also meant that some private or sensitive conversations could have been overheard by strangers.
After public criticism in 2019, Apple promised to change how Siri data was handled. The company said it would no longer store voice recordings by default and that users could choose whether or not to share their data for improving Siri. Apple also mentioned that only its own employees — not outside contractors — would be allowed to review audio clips, and even then, under strict privacy rules.
In response to the current investigation, Apple told Reuters that it has strengthened Siri’s privacy protections twice — once in 2019 and again this year. The company pointed to a post published on its official website in January, where it stated that “conversations with Siri were never shared with marketers or sold to advertisers.” Apple has long tried to present itself as a company that values user privacy, often saying that it collects less personal data compared to other tech giants like Google or Meta.
Still, critics argue that even small loopholes can lead to big privacy issues. When people use Siri, their voice data travels through Apple’s servers, where it can be processed to understand commands better. The question is not whether Siri helps users — it’s whether users truly understand what information they are giving away and how it might be used.
For French prosecutors, this case could be a significant one. If Apple is found to have broken privacy laws, it could face serious fines and be forced to change the way Siri operates across Europe. The European Union has some of the world’s strongest data protection laws, mainly through the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Under this law, companies must be transparent about how they collect and use personal data — and users have the right to know, access, or delete the information stored about them.
For now, French authorities have not released many details about the progress of the investigation. They only confirmed that a special cybercrime unit has been given responsibility for the case. Such cases often take months — or even years — to reach a conclusion, as investigators must carefully analyze technical evidence and review whether the company violated privacy rules.
Meanwhile, Apple continues to defend its privacy record. The company has repeatedly stated that it does not sell personal data, that Siri is designed with strong protections, and that users are always given a choice regarding what they share. However, with growing global awareness of data privacy, even a single complaint can lead to widespread attention and public debate.
This case also highlights the rising power of individuals and small organizations to challenge global corporations. What began as a single complaint from one researcher and a human rights group has now grown into a national-level investigation. It shows that people are becoming more aware of their digital rights and more willing to question how technology fits into their everyday lives.
In a world where our voices can activate machines, order products, or send messages instantly, trust becomes everything. When that trust is shaken, even slightly, it opens up larger questions about how technology should work for us — and not the other way around.
As Le Bonniec’s statement reminds us, “fundamental rights matter.” And this investigation could serve as an important reminder — not just for Apple, but for all tech companies — that privacy is not optional. It is a right that must be protected, respected, and maintained in every corner of our increasingly digital world.
