Apple says it doesn’t listen in on consumers, despite concerns

Siri, did you hear that?

Apple told U.S. lawmakers Tuesday that despite privacy concerns, its iPhones do not listen to users without their consent.

Last month, House members Greg Walden, Marsha Blackburn, Gregg Harper and Robert Latta wrote to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Alphabet CEO Larry Page citing their concerns about reports that smartphones are listening to users’ conversations without being triggered with a ‘Hey, Siri,” or ‘Okay, Google.’

Apple responded with a letter of their own debunking the reports, while adding it does not allow third-party apps to listen in either. Apple also said that Siri does not record audio while waiting for commands or does not share any spoken words. The company said it explicitly requires its users to approve microphone access and that apps must display a clear signal that they are listening.

Additionally, the company said it has previously removed apps from its App Store over privacy violations, but declined to indicate whether a developer has been banned. In the letter, it said it rejects about 36,000 apps from the 100,000 submitted each week for violations of its guidelines.

“Apple does not and cannot monitor what developers do with the customer data they have collected, or prevent the onward transfer of that data, nor do we have the ability to ensure a developer’s compliance with their own privacy policies or local law,” Apple wrote to lawmakers.