Alphabet's Google agreed to a $68 million class-action settlement to resolve claims its Google Assistant recorded users without their consent. The lawsuit alleged the voice assistant frequently activated and recorded conversations accidentally. These instances, termed 'False Accepts,' occurred without users intentionally using a wake word like 'Hey, Google.'
The suit claimed these unintentional recordings captured sensitive personal conversations. Google then improperly used these recordings. The company also shared them with third-party vendors to improve its speech recognition technology.
While Google denies any wrongdoing, it agreed to the settlement to avoid the cost and risk of continued litigation. The agreement covers U.S. users. These users either purchased certain Google devices or had their conversations recorded. The covered period spans from May 2016 to March 2026.