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Users alleged Google Assistant recorded private conversations without activation, a claim the company denies.
The settlement follows claims that Google Assistant recorded conversations without users activating “Hey Google”. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE)
Google has agreed to pay $68 million to settle a class action lawsuit that accused the company of secretly recording users through its smart devices, according to court documents filed in a federal court in Northern California, according to a report by the Hill.
The lawsuit centres on Google Assistant, the company’s voice-enabled tool that is designed to activate only when users say hot word phrases such as “Hey Google” or “Okay Google”, or when a button on the device is manually pressed. The plaintiffs alleged that the Assistant recorded conversations even when no such activation command was used.
According to the complaint, Google allegedly captured private conversations without the knowledge of users across a wide range of devices, including smartphones, home speakers, laptops, tablets, Chromecast media players and wireless earphones. The recordings were said to have taken place without any hot word trigger, raising concerns over privacy and consent.
Users objected to receiving ads after Google Assistant misperceived what they said as hot words, known as “false accepts.”
Some users claimed they were later targeted with advertisements linked to conversations they had only spoken about, even though they had not intentionally activated Google Assistant. These claims were cited in reports by Reuters.
Google has denied any wrongdoing. In court filings, the company said it chose to settle the case to avoid the uncertainty, risk, expense and distraction of prolonged litigation. The settlement does not include an admission of fault.
The preliminary settlement has been filed in the US District Court in San Jose, California, and will now require approval from District Judge Beth Labson Freeman before it can take effect. Details on how much individual users may receive remain unclear.
Apple, meanwhile, has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a similar lawsuit involving its voice assistant Siri. The case, filed in California federal court and known as Lopez v. Apple, alleged that Siri sometimes activated unintentionally and recorded sensitive audio without users’ consent, leading to privacy concerns and claims that recordings were shared with third parties. Apple denied any wrongdoing but chose to settle to avoid prolonged litigation.
California, USA
January 27, 2026, 19:14 IST
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