Google to Pay $68M over Google assistant privacy lawsuit – reports

• AI-generated photo.

Google has agreed to pay $68 million to settle a long-running class-action lawsuit in the United States accusing its voice-activated assistant, Google Assistant, of recording private conversations without users’ knowledge or consent.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Jose, California, focused on so-called “false accepts” — instances where Assistant mistakenly interpreted normal speech or background noise as the activation phrase (“Hey Google” or “OK Google”), resulting in audio being recorded even when users had not deliberately triggered the device.

Plaintiffs alleged that these accidental recordings sometimes captured sensitive or private discussions and that portions were accessed by third parties or used for targeted advertising — a claim Google denies.

Google chose to settle the case to avoid further litigation risks and expenses. The proposed settlement now awaits approval from the U.S. District Court.

The settlement covers users who owned Assistant-enabled devices dating back to May 2016.

This development is the latest in a series of privacy-related legal challenges for tech giants. A similar class-action lawsuit against Apple’s Siri voice assistant resulted in a $95 million settlement over related recording claims in December 2024.

SOURCE: Reuters