Deutsch LA has hired Erwin Federizo and Eric Helin as associate creative directors on the Volkswagen account. They will report directly to executive VP/group creative director Michael Kadin and his new partner, exec VP/group creative director Matt Ian, who joined the shop in early July. Federizo and Helin come over from 180LA, where they worked together on several accounts, including Boost Mobile, Sony and adidas. The duo created the “Fast Don't Lie” campaign for adidas featuring NBA stars Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose, and comedian Ken Jeong. They teamed up at 180LA in 2008, and their work has been awarded One Show Pencils and SlamDance honors. Federizo and Helin both worked at Wongdoody (currently Wong, Doody, Crandall, Wiener) in Los Angeles before moving to 180LA in 2007 and 2008, respectively….Hornet has signed directing team Ben&Julia (Benoit Créac'h and Julia Gaudard) for U.S. repesentation. Involved in multiple disciplines, Ben&Julia's credits span varied platforms, from commercials to music videos to exhibitions at Art Basel. Most recently Ben&Julia created a large-scale art installation as part of the Pictoplasma Festival in Berlin….Noelle Stevenson, film commissioner of the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward Office of Film & Entertainment, has been elected chair of the Film Commission Council for Film Florida. In her new role, Stevenson will support the council's continued efforts related to encouraging the development of new media and the expansion of existing industry infrastructure, as well as retention of the state's film, television, and entertainment industry….
Apple To Pay $95 million To Settle Lawsuit Accusing Siri of Snooping, Sharing Some Info With Advertisers
Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the privacy-minded company of deploying its virtual assistant Siri to eavesdrop on people using its iPhone and other trendy devices.
The proposed settlement filed Tuesday in an Oakland, California, federal court would resolve a 5-year-old lawsuit revolving around allegations that Apple surreptitiously activated Siri to record conversations through iPhones and other devices equipped with the virtual assistant for more than a decade.
The alleged recordings occurred even when people didn't seek to activate the virtual assistant with the trigger words, "Hey, Siri." Some of the recorded conversations were then shared with advertisers in an attempt to sell their products to consumers more likely to be interested in the goods and services, the lawsuit asserted.
The allegations about a snoopy Siri contradicted Apple's long-running commitment to protect the privacy of its customers — a crusade that CEO Tim Cook has often framed as a fight to preserve "a fundamental human right."
Apple isn't acknowledging any wrongdoing in the settlement, which still must be approved by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White. Lawyers in the case have proposed scheduling a Feb. 14 court hearing in Oakland to review the terms.
If the settlement is approved, tens of millions of consumers who owned iPhones and other Apple devices from Sept. 17, 2014, through the end of last year could file claims. Each consumer could receive up to $20 per Siri-equipped device covered by the settlement, although the payment could be reduced or increased, depending on the volume of claims. Only 3% to 5% of eligible consumers are expected to file claims, according to estimates in court documents.
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