Google settles Google Assistant privacy lawsuit for $68 million

Google has agreed to pay $68 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that its Google Assistant voice service improperly recorded private conversations, violating users’ privacy. The proposed class action settlement was filed in federal court in San Jose, California, and awaits approval from a U.S. district judge.

The lawsuit accused Google, a unit of Alphabet, of recording and sharing conversations when Google Assistant was unintentionally activated, a phenomenon known as “false accepts.” Plaintiffs said these recordings were later used to deliver targeted advertising, even though users had not deliberately triggered the assistant with hot words such as “Hey Google” or “Okay Google.”

Google denied any wrongdoing but chose to settle to avoid prolonged litigation and associated costs, according to court documents. The settlement applies to users who purchased Google devices or experienced false activations dating back to May 18, 2016. Attorneys for the plaintiffs may seek up to one-third of the settlement amount for legal fees.