Google Resolves $68 Million Privacy Lawsuit Over Google Assistant
Google has agreed to pay a substantial $68 million to settle a lawsuit that accused its voice-activated assistant of improperly spying on smartphone users, thereby violating their privacy rights.
A preliminary class action settlement was filed late Friday night in the federal court of San Jose, California, and it awaits approval from U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman.
Smartphone users alleged that Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, engaged in illegal practices by recording and disseminating private conversations after the Google Assistant was inadvertently activated. This was reportedly done to target users with personalized advertisements.
The Google Assistant is designed to respond to specific “hot words,” such as “Hey Google” or “Okay Google,” similar to how Apple’s Siri functions. However, users raised concerns about receiving targeted ads after the assistant mistakenly interpreted their words as activation commands, a phenomenon known as “false accepts.”
In a related case, Apple reached a similar settlement of $95 million with smartphone users in December 2024, highlighting a growing concern over privacy issues surrounding voice-activated technology.
Although Google has denied any wrongdoing, the company opted to settle in order to mitigate the risks, costs, and uncertainties associated with ongoing litigation, as indicated in court documents. As of Monday, the Mountain View, California-based company had no further comments regarding the settlement.
The settlement will benefit individuals who purchased Google devices or experienced false accepts since May 18, 2016, according to court filings. Legal representatives for the plaintiffs may seek up to one-third of the settlement fund, which amounts to approximately $22.7 million, to cover legal fees.
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Google has agreed to pay a substantial $68 million to settle a lawsuit that accused its voice-activated assistant of improperly spying on smartphone users, thereby violating their privacy rights.
A preliminary class action settlement was filed late Friday night in the federal court of San Jose, California, and it awaits approval from U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman.
Smartphone users alleged that Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, engaged in illegal practices by recording and disseminating private conversations after the Google Assistant was inadvertently activated. This was reportedly done to target users with personalized advertisements.
The Google Assistant is designed to respond to specific “hot words,” such as “Hey Google” or “Okay Google,” similar to how Apple’s Siri functions. However, users raised concerns about receiving targeted ads after the assistant mistakenly interpreted their words as activation commands, a phenomenon known as “false accepts.”
In a related case, Apple reached a similar settlement of $95 million with smartphone users in December 2024, highlighting a growing concern over privacy issues surrounding voice-activated technology.
Although Google has denied any wrongdoing, the company opted to settle in order to mitigate the risks, costs, and uncertainties associated with ongoing litigation, as indicated in court documents. As of Monday, the Mountain View, California-based company had no further comments regarding the settlement.
The settlement will benefit individuals who purchased Google devices or experienced false accepts since May 18, 2016, according to court filings. Legal representatives for the plaintiffs may seek up to one-third of the settlement fund, which amounts to approximately $22.7 million, to cover legal fees.
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