Comment by gruez

>How much I would I get fined for wiretapping my neighbors illegally? They wouldn't fine me $40.

1. this is a civil case, not a criminal case, so it's closer to your neighbors suing you for damages than you being "fined" whatever dollar amount. This is important, because apple can still possibly be on the hook for further damages, assuming the DoJ decides to prosecute them.

2. it's unclear whether apple actually "wiretapped" anyone. In their response, they contend that accidental triggers don't count as "interception" (the relevant law actually mentions "interception", rather than wiretap), and that they consented to the possibility of accidental recordings by enabling siri, which is opt in. This never went to trial so we won't know whether this argument is actually legally sound, but it sounds at least plausible. At the very least I think most would agree that whatever apple is doing is totally different than you breaking into your neighbors' phone box and attaching a recorder.