"Google has agreed to a $68 million settlement regarding claims that its voice assistant inappropriately spied on smartphone users. Plaintiffs claimed that the company's Google Assistant platform began listening to them after it misheard conversations that sounded like its wake words. The suit argued that private information that Google Assistant shouldn't have heard was then used to deliver those individuals targeted ads."
"reported that Google denied wrongdoing in the suit, but according to court papers, the company agreed to a settlement in order to avoid the risk and costs of litigating the issue. The preliminary class action settlement was filed on Friday and now awaits approval from U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman. Google has been transitioning away from the Google Assistant platform in the past year, replacing it with its Gemini tool. Not that AI chatbots should be trusted as paragons of privacy either."
Google agreed to a $68 million settlement addressing claims that Google Assistant inappropriately listened to smartphone users after mishearing wake words and that private information was used to target ads. The company denied wrongdoing but accepted the settlement to avoid litigation risk and costs. The preliminary class-action settlement awaits approval from U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman. Google has been transitioning away from the Google Assistant platform toward its Gemini tool. A similar Siri class-action suit from 2019 concluded with a $95 million settlement in January 2025, and some observers questioned whether device payouts are sufficient compensation.
Read at Engadget
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