Google to pay $68 million to settle lawsuit over Google Assistant privacy violations

Google has agreed to a $68 million settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit filed in California federal court, which accused the company’s voice assistant technology of privacy violations. The lawsuit, filed on January 23, alleged that Google Assistant was activated without user consent—often triggered accidentally—and recorded private conversations that were then transmitted to Google’s servers.

Allegations of Unauthorized Recording

According to the complaint, while Google Assistant is designed to activate only upon hearing trigger phrases like “Hey Google” or “Okay Google,” the system allegedly activated unintentionally in certain situations. These accidental activations led to the collection and transmission of private audio without users’ knowledge. Google Assistant is integrated across a wide range of devices, including Android phones, smart speakers, laptops, tablets, and wireless headphones.

Settlement and Broader Context

Google stated it agreed to the payment to avoid prolonged litigation. The settlement is pending approval by U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman. The case follows a similar privacy settlement by Apple, which agreed on January 3 to pay $95 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit alleging its Siri voice assistant improperly listened to private conversations.